


The Steam Mistress(Y!Kane x Steam Mistress(Fem!Reader))

by DJFire102



Series: The Steam Mistress Series [1]
Category: Pirate101 (Video Game)
Genre: A little bit of French Language, A little gore, Angst, Angst with a happy ending(?), Betrayal, Blood, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Love Triangle, Major Character Death(?), Meaning the story will be altered, Obsessive Behavior, Original Male Character(s) - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pirates, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sin? Maybe, There will involve a child in each story in the series, Yandere, alternative universe, poor you, slow burn(?)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-09 05:07:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20848007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJFire102/pseuds/DJFire102
Summary: "Everything needs a heart, no matter how hollow they are."-The Steam MistressThe Steam Mistress, a lucky woman who is chosen to hold the blood of the Clockworks magic. The blood grants massive amounts of power to any machine or Clockwork, make them some sort of god. The blood is precious and often abused by the human kind, they just think they don't need a Steam Mistress that could easily get taken away and used for power. They think they would get endless torture with losing gallons of blood each day.Kane wants to complete himself in El Dorado, but his main piece to the puzzle is missing and he'll never find it.Because it already found him.





	1. One quick A/N

A/N

Hello~!  
I’m here today to present a x reader story but with a character most of us might not know about. 

His name is Kane and he is from a game called “Pirate101”, a fandom that is getting the least amount of attention as possible and that’s pretty sad because it’s a great game qwq

I decided to do a Kane x Reader since there is very little Kane x Reader’s out there and mind you, Kane is gorgeous >:”(

Even though I am fairly new in the fandom, I will try my best and give attention to some characters I might not even know about. I am playing the game so I could get a sense of the story and the characters that become your friends along the way and the personalities of your enemies and friends. But, it might take a while to get through with all of it.

To note: This is some sort of alternative world which might impact the main story. I will have the same setting to the main goal and problem but certain things will be changed and altered throughout the story to give it more background. So, please don’t tell me that “this or this is wrong and it’s supposed to be this” or whatever, just remember, this story is altered and changed for the best parts of the story. 

Thank you for reading this author’s note~!

-DJ


	2. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These were the days, the days where the skies were blue and the lakes were clear. When the flowers bloomed, when the sun shone bright. When the pollen danced in the air freely..
> 
> Why did all of that go away?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!~
> 
> This is pretty long for a prologue so I hope everything will make sense for you all smart readers!(I am still a beginner on writing long stories such as this one qwq)
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
~~~~~~~~~~~~

That smell…

It’s so calming…

The smell of cold brisk air that clouded the room, the smell of copper and cold hard stone, the smell of the relaxing meadow that greeted the sun every morning. You loved this smell, even though you woke up to it every morning, it will always be your favorite thing to take a good whiff of. As you rolled your tired self out of bed, the warm sun rays shone down on you. It blinded you, even if your eyes are closed shut. You groaned in annoyance at how transparent your eyelids are on allowing the sun to touch your eyes. It was even more of a pain as you slowly opened your crusty, sticky, eyelids. As your eyes adjusted, you looked around your room for a certain dresser that housed your dresses and gowns, and secretly, your pants and shirts. You slowly got up as your blanket fell to your ankles, nearly pulling you back into bed. You stumbled and grabbed onto your bed stand before your weight gave way. You stumbled once more as you continue forward to your dresser, you opened the door and immediately got dressed in a green gown laced with white fabric decorated with Emeralds. As much as you loved the dresses, you still would rather wear something light like what all the younger boys wear. Their clothes look easy to slip on and doesn't drag you down when you try to move. You were very lucky that you snuck out and bought many kinds of pants and shirts with Kane..

Kane...

"Maybe," you thought, "I should get him something at the market..."

You still remember the day your grandfather and the Toy Maker finally awaken their creation, Kane. It was mesmerizing to watch a thing that's non-human bring to life and watching them look around the room. You feel a sense of pride that you know more than this thing that was getting the hang of using their limbs to move. You introduced yourself to Kane, telling him the basics of living and how the world works. Little did you know that this machine knew everything already but didn't have the heart(Get it? No? Okie-)to tell you that he already knows. When he was done getting used to his legs and walking, your grandfather covered your eyes as the Toy Maker removed the only piece of clothing wrapped around Kane's waist and started to get him dressed in formal clothes. You jogged to the door of the workshop when your grandfather uncovered your eyes when the Clockwork was all dressed, you motioned Kane to follow and willingly, he followed you. You excitedly showed him around the palace and the mechanical town both your grandfather and the Toy Maker made. You smiled and waved at all the half humans who were decorated with mechanical parts and clockwork. Kane was fascinated as he watched every being walking by, their gears shifting each step and steam puffing out of the cracks of metal. He loved it all, especially the little girl in front of him.

You pressed on and introduced each acquaintance, each friend, each family. After that day, you always find Kane in his workshop, drawing his ideas on blueprint. You would always visit his office and watch him work, he barely minded at all. He would explain to you anything that you found confusing, he would let you sit in his lap while he worked, and even if he's working, he still chats with you about your day and what you'll do tomorrow. You had a habit on drawing little hearts in the middle of his designs, you told him, "Everything needs a heart, no matter how hollow they are." He only replied with a smile and that highlighted your life. Even if he told you that not everything needs hearts to live, he didn't erase your poor attempts on little hearts.

He has been always looking for some specific parts for his machines, you know a man who sells those parts...

You made your way down the hall, that glittered with stars, and left out the large door that's too big for its own good. Since the shop isn't that far away from the palace, you decided to walk all the way there. You trotted down the stairs and skip across the garden floor. The grass tickled your feet and the flowers followed your radiated happiness that seemed toxic to many prickly weeds. The breeze brushed your long hair and sprinkled shine and sparkle in your hair to give it the signature shine it always had. You ran past the mountain of hedges and the many newcomers coming to the palace. Your grandfather was always busy with meetings of the other four main powers, Marleybone, Valencia, Monquista, and Polaris. There seems to be a little bit of challenge between the main powers with Cuspary, the Clockwork town. Cuspary has things that the main powers want like machines, Quantum, spare parts with great worth, and half Clockwork people. Valencia even discussed with Cuspary about making actual robot Clockwork men that would serve great purpose for their army. Polaris wants that too, they want to build up their army to the max which caused tension in the Capital room. It seemed too much for your understanding, you are in school for these kinds of things for a reason. Your grandfather always told you, "One day, you are going to rule these skies too, my little [y/n]. Soon you'll be able to talk to many powers, make deals, and develop colonies all around the Spiral." The thought scared you. You? In charge of the most powerful fleets in the Spiral? Making trades and colonies with other big powers? You gulped by even imagining what your life would be like, crowded in a room filled with strangers with high power that could easily crush you without your army and worth. But, they can't lay a finger on you. Your blood is precious and valuable, the main powers each had a share on bribing your grandfather for his, your mother's, or your blood. Even a prick on your finger can power an airship, and those things need tons and tons of power! May sound over powering, but that drop of blood burns out fast so they want gallons of your blood.

You were lost in your train of thought, then,

-WHAM-

You toppled over on what felt like a person, their skin was surprising hard and soft at the same time. You remained your eyes closed as you sat up and slowly opened your eyes, you were really nervous on who you knocked over. Maybe it was a soldier? An apprentice? Or even, one of the main power's people! You sweated and gulped one more time before you slowly but carefully, opened your eyes.

"[y/n]?"

Your eyes widened as you looked down at him, Kane. You jumped off of him and silently screamed at yourself. Of course you had to bump into him on your way out of the palace grounds, why is he even out and about? He's always in his workshop so this is a little different than you remembered. You helped him up and dusted each other off. You looked up at him with a little fear and disappointment in yourself for getting so caught up in your mind. He stared back at you with empty eyes, but to the shiver that ran down your back, it seemed that his eyes showed worry.

"Where were you heading, [y/n]?"

You played with your fingers as you took a step back from him, just to gain some space from each other.

"I was, um, heading down to a certain store. You know, fetching some supplies and what not..."

He tilted his head to the side when you said that, you nervously sweated as you carefully watched. He was always as curious as a cat and wondered just like a dog, he would beg for questions before getting to the conclusion. That's just how he works and now that he knows where you want to go, he'll probably want to tag along..Which will ruin the surprise...

"Shall I accompany you?"

You tried to look for an excuse, anything, for the surprise to be saved. But, the things that he needs is beyond your understanding, you haven't been taught the things that Kane uses yet..You then spotted, in his hand, was a big book; Astronomical Engineering to be exact.

"Aren't you quite busy yourself?"

He looked down at the book. He closed it with a soft clump and put it behind his back, straightening his posture.

"It can wait, shall we head there?"

You sighed softly as you wanted to cry right there as you kicked sand. Welp, there goes the surprise you planned to throw for him, now you have to bring him along and ruin the surprise. You didn't want him to regret coming with you though. All you did to respond to him was a simple nod, as you then started to run down to the gate. Ever since his birth, you have been always challenging his abilities and see if you have anything better than him. So far, you didn't beat any of his records sadly, but this time you have confidence on beating him in a simple race to the gate. You've tested his speed before and he was as fast as hurricane currents and the wind that follows him was enough to knock you off your feet. The gravel scrapped against your heel as you blasted through the road that lead to the main gate, there were some pass byers who cheered you on. You looked over your shoulder, Kane wasn't on your tail. You wondered why he wasn't behind you, maybe he gave up? Which means you could save the surprise! With a bolt of determination, you ran a little bit faster than you once were. You were breathless when you met the gate, that stood proud, looming over you as their shadow. You leaned over, coughing and panting, while silently laughing. You made it! Now you can go to the store, get the necessary items, and then go back home and surprise Kane-!

...

Speaking of the Devil...

When you opened your eyes, you noticed a pair of feet unlike yours. They were bigger and the shoes were completely made of fine leather and the smell of birch wood. You slowly looked up, your head brushed past his stomach while trying to look up at him. He tilted his head again.

"You were trying to race me again?" He sounded a slight bit confused about your action.

"Uh, yeah..I thought I had enough practice to finally run faster than you.." You nervously chuckled.

The robot only shook his head, he reached his hand out to the gate, and like a pet obeying it's master; the giant gate opened with ease. He walked to the gate and turned back your way, waiting for you to follow. You followed him but walked a bit faster pace than he was going, maybe there is still hope! He noticed your pace and tried to match his pace with yours.

"Am I annoying you, your Highness?"

You looked up at him with a worried glance as you stuttered. "N-No! Y-you're not! Not a-at all!"

He only looked at you with a little of unsureness. "Are you sure?"

"Y-yeah, it's f-fine!" You gulped as you finally looked up at the signs that hanged above you.

There were many shops with many trinkets and items that are valuable to many colonies, but here, it's not as precious as the other main powers see it. But, it's still what the power is known for, their power on making creatures, vehicles, and places filled with and operated by Clockwork. The other main powers want to split that sort of wealth or even have all of it to themselves, such greedy people...You reached the shop and you headed inside, with a curious and confused Clockwork behind you.

"Why go here? The things here seem to be a little too complicated for the parts of your little projects.."

"Listen," You sighed as you stopped and turned to face him. "I wanted to get you parts for your machines by surprise but I didn't watch where I was going and I bumped into you. It's not your fault that you tagged along! I'm just a little sad that it wouldn't be a surprise for you..."

His eye sockets seem to widen a little as he looked...sorry...Now you started to feel guilty when you saw his sudden mood change, you went up to him and grabbed both of his forearms. You looked up at him with sheer bravery and using a comforting gaze.

"And just because the surprise for you is ruined, doesn't mean that I can't surprise my grandfather! Maybe we'll get him something here!"

That seemed to brighten his mood up a little. "You know what your grandfather likes?"

"Uh-huh! What about your dad? Why don't you get something for him?"

".....No, I don't think he needs anything.."

You shivered from his long pause, did he hate his creator and you didn't know about it? Now that you think about it, Kane never wanted any interaction with Mr. Gazpaccio at all. And why would he? That man seemed to have a deep grudge against Valencia and takes it everywhere he goes; hate follows his trail and you could sense it. He never was angry at you or showed any sign of anger when you were around but you could hear his evil mutters and venom filled growls. That man wasn't happy and you knew that...

Kane always hanged out with your grandfather though, maybe because your grandfather is like the definition of Santa Claus. The old man didn't have any grudges, favors to pay, debts, nothing bad ever happened to him. Plus, he was much smarter than the Toy Maker, he was the one who came up with Kane's first design. Gazpaccio only made some changes to make the Clockwork look just like how he imagined his son would be. You never could've thought that Kane would actually pick up some of the Toy Makers horrid habits and desires. But when he is with your grandfather, Kane seems to tucker down and focus on his work much more clearly. You smiled every time you saw Kane and your grandfather would sit next or across from each other, discussing about mechanics for certain things and just talking in general. They would make each other laugh, smile, and they just enjoy each other's company like they were father and son. And you thought maybe that Kane wished that too, so he wouldn't have to deal with the lousy Toy Maker who wants revenge..

You looked around the shop with him, looking high and low for the parts needed. You then spotted something that your grandfather would love, a clockwork heart. Your grandfather already made a living making those things left and right, but maybe you could buy this one as a gift for your grandfather as a sign of love and care. He'll accept it, that's for sure! You reached for it but it was higher than you thought. You jumped and tried to get it down that way but alas; you weren't able to grab the heart. You grumbled as you stomped your foot down a little and looked down for a step stool or something. You then felt light, you no longer felt the hard surface of the floor anymore. You had a mini panic attack in your head as you felt something hard press against your waist and stomach. You then looked back up at the heart and you saw that it was closer now, you can grab it! You reached up and plucked it off the shelf. You looked behind you and down at the source who picked you up. Your face felt hot as you noticed; Kane picked you up. With your other hand, you swiftly grabbed his shoulder and tried to balance yourself on him. He was looking at you as you could hear his Clockwork heart thump loudly in his chest, with that addition, you could see that his chest was glowing a soft red. You yourself can hear your own heart thump as loud and as fast as him.

In that moment; it felt like the world went black, that there was nothing else instead of you and Kane. The once cold feeling of the wind was now replaced with a warm vibe that continues to push you two together. You wanted to look around, see what the world has become, but you couldn't leave his eyes. You were stuck and so was he. He couldn't understand why his heart was going crazy, he never had this feeling before, it's so....foreign..The feeling didn't seem right to him, he felt his body heating up from his heart. He felt like he was going to explode but didn't at the same time. The force that was around you and him in the tight air was now pushing down and up on both of your heads to move you two even closer. Will this be your first kiss? You closed your eyes because your heart told you to as you let the air push down your head towards his face. You took a deep breath in..

…

Remember that smell from earlier?

Well, now, it was replaced with the smell of burning rubber and overheated cores...

Only inches away from your lips touching his, you opened your eyes and looked up out the closet window of the shop. You saw that the windows were fogged up with smoke and steam and you saw a bright orange red flare. You could feel the heat and the tight air.

Fire......FIRE!!

"Kane! Something is on fire!"

He looked where you were looking and set you down gently while running towards the shop door. When you followed him, his arm held you back.

"This building is made out of thick steel and balanced Clockwork, you need to stay here and hide. Wait for my return."

You stood there as he sped out the door, you tried to grab a hold on his sleeve but your fingers slipped and he glided past you. You watched him race down the streets. You looked around and you saw that the whole town was burning, people were screaming for help, and the soft buildings were collapsing on others and even people. You looked up at the side of the building and you saw the giant burning sign, the chains that were holding the sign broke loose and began to fall to where you were. You shrieked as you closed the door when you ducked inside the shop, the hard thud and crash of the sign knocked you to the floor. You looked up and looked at the door, it was blocked by the aflame sign, you can't escape now. You pulled yourself back before your back met a wall, you softly cried as you pulled your knees to your chest. You wrapped your arms around your legs and you rested your head on your knees. You cried, you cried hard and you cried loudly. Your whole town and maybe the Palace, burning against their will and slowly turning to ash and dust, to be forgotten in the Spiral. You choked on the hot tight air, the warmth was unbearable like the heat of a desert heat rays.

Your lungs felt like they were going to collapse as the air tightened the tissue and the heat filled your lungs. Your breaths were now shallow and short pants as you struggled to breathe correctly. You laid down, hoping that the air was coolier towards the ground. You were right, the air was less thick on the ground than when standing or sitting. The tears wouldn't stop pouring out of your eyelids though. You couldn't tell if the source of your crying was the ash that clouded the air or the fact that your grandfather might be dead, along with Kane. Other troubling thoughts perstured your brain and spiked the fear that was already tense from the issue you're in, you no longer had the courage or strength to get up. Your eyelids felt heavy as your ears blocked out the horror that was happening outside on the road, in front of this burning shop. You ever so wanted to sleep, to at least rest your eyes and forget that this madness ever happened...

Wait..

Were there boots there before?

Before you opened your eyes fully and sit up, a hand behind you grabbed your hair and forced you to sit up on the ground. Your eyes, now bloodshot with fear and dangerous curiosity, scanned the men in front of your helpless body. They didn't look like anyone from the main powers...They dress of dark jackets laced with leather and gold, their shirts are ripped and looks worn out, their pants are filthy, their hats are triconed but in a different style that's definitely weird to you. They had swords and guns held on their sides, their faces were rough and dirty while their ears were heavy with earings of silver and gold. These men...They're raiders! The raiders that the main powers were babbling about!

"Lookie here," One of the raider's took a step towards you. "Looks like we've hit the jackpot boys!"

The other raiders began to laugh as their golden rotten teeth shined, it nearly blinded you. They smelled awful, hard liquor and mud, you coughed from all of their gastly fumes. Especially that funky smell coming from their breaths, you noticed that they were breathing heavily too, you had horrid vibes from that. The raider behind you picked you up and slung you over his shoulder, you kicked at his back and struggled against his grip to at least worm your way out of his death grip. You looked up and you noticed that a hole burrowed it's way into the building, that must be how they got in. You screamed, you screamed for help, for safety, for Kane....

But.....No one came...

You tried not to accept the fact that you might die in their hands, your blood drained till there's nothing left, till your body is a pale rotting corpse. The ash now stung your eyes to a point where you can't open them, you felt yourself high in the air, they were indeed carrying you up to their ship. After a while of struggling, you were thrown down on the floorboards of the ship, your knees were scraped and bleeding while a bruise found home to your forehead. You looked up and out at the city, it was on fire, ash and smoke clouded the air as you saw millions of lifeless bodies litter the streets and hanging out of windows and doors. You saw many other people running around and trying to find their lost loved ones, some raiders took foot and killed the rest that were alive...You cried, you cried hard and long from hearing all the screams and agony from your fellow people.

_A voice, he is calling out to you, you can hear his worry and his panic.._

You looked up towards the Palace, you could see him, he was looking out of the broken glass wall that covered the top front of the Palace. He was calling your name..You got up and reached out towards him, screaming his name.

"KANE! I'M SO SORRY!!"

One of the raider's grabbed onto your forearm pretty roughly and that made you hiss loudly in pain. You tried to yank your arm away from the raider's grip, it only pulled and put a lot of pressure on your arm.

"LET GO OF ME!"

"No can do, little missy. Now tucker down and-"

A bright light flashed by your face, made your hair glide with the speed of the light, your eyes tried to follow it. When you turned to where it went, bright red now flashes before your eyes and coated most of your chest. The raider screamed in pain and toppled over himself and gripped onto his arm. It was gone... All that was there was a gash wound, the muscle flaked out from the wound, and the bone was cracked and poking out of the gash. You looked back at your arm and you noticed his arm that was left behind. You squealed as you shaked your arm, luckily the hand lost its grip and fell off. You looked back towards Kane, he had a shock pistol in his hand, you could feel the coldness in his eyes. Your feet were frozen to the ground, you couldn't believe that the Clockwork you knew ever since you were four, was holding a firearm and shot off someone's arm. He was always the gently one and has one hell of a argument winner mouth. Then you felt the ship move and a couple of other raiders grabbed you and pulled you away. You screamed and cried out to Kane as you also reached out towards him. He did the same and tried his best to shoot down the raiders that were pulling you aside.

-WHACK-

The last thing you saw was Kane before everything went dark..

...

You hoped, you'll find him again..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while to finish, but it is finally done! ^^
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed it~!


	3. I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I told her I was lost in this world,  
and she smiled,  
because she was too.  
We were all lost somehow,  
but we didn't care,  
we had in the chaos,  
found each other." 
> 
> \--Atticus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long chapter but that usually means that you're putting your heart and soul into your writings and explaining every bit of detail..
> 
> Right? qwq
> 
> Anyways, enjoy~!

_ **~7 years later~** _

"HEY! GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE RUNT!"

You picked up your pace as you dashed down the street, pushing past the people crowding the street, saying 'excuse me' or 'pardon me', and tripping over small children. Who you did quickly apologize to before you continued running like a mad man. You pulled your hood down a little further over your eyes, the sun was out and shining as bright as ever down at this peaceful town, one of the many towns on Skull Island. You tripped over market shops sitting on the sides of the road, their carts and their contents spilling all over the streets. You ignored your kind heart and the temptation to go back and help pick up the food that was knocked over, their probably already bruised. You could hear the crab pirates angry yells behind you and them screaming to give back what's theirs. Yes, you stole from the crabs again, only because their machinery is the only ones closest to the ones from home. Home... Oh, how you missed Cuspary... You missed the views, you missed the people that wandered the streets. You missed Kane, dreadfully missed him. You overheard by many townsfolk that Kane is now this commander of this military group called the Armada, that was used by Valencia to end the war with Polaris. And thank god they did, you would've still be on the 'raiders' ships if the Armada didn't win the war. When Polaris was defeated, the 'raiders' had no idea what to do with you and eventually was attacked by Monquista ships because they were trespassing on their territory. They found you and their general immediately recognized you and took you under his wing, he was the one taking care of you for 7 years. He hid you, he hid you well. But, he was getting old and he eventually passed away. Now the one that looks after you is the general's son, Sir Guiart. He's a soldier who takes pride to what he does, he'll accept any task and do it well, even accepting his father's dying wish. And that was to protect you from anyone, especially the Armada. He was like the older sibling to you, he kept you out of trouble even from his own people, and he taught you what the world was like before and after the war and how the Spiral runs their business. You mostly were distracted from his teachings and that always got you into trouble with other people. He would smack you other the head with a rolled up newspaper like chastising a naughty dog and have you stay focused on the subject he's teaching you. Either than that, you two get along pretty well.  
  
...

_God, you missed Kane..._

You finally made it to the docks, the pirates still at your heel, you ran to Guiart's ship. You were out of breath but you pressed forward on making it to the ship, Guiart only looked at you from his ship's railing with disbelief.

"When are you going to stop stealing from them?"

"When they stop scavenging amazing parts, so, no I won't stop."

You laughed cheerfully as you grabbed onto the ladder and hoisted yourself up. You threw your backpack onto the deck and pulled yourself up and over, you looked behind you as the pirates were running up to Guiart's ship.

"And when will you learn how to pilot a ship? I can't always do this for you.."

He ran over to the steering wheel and pulled a lever that was placed a foot away from the wheel, you felt the ship roar to life. The ship pulled away from the docks before the pirates got to the ship's ladder, disappointed and infuriated, they cursed at you and waved their fists in the air before you. You only stuck your tongue out at them and laughed while mocking them by making funny faces. When they were out of sight, you sighed happily and laid back at the steps that lead to the wheel, you rested your eyes for a minute or two. You opened your eyes to the sound of soft laughter.

"Teasing them I saw? You sure have the Monquista spoiled personality, that's for sure.."

You smiled, "Well, you guys are really strict and spoiled as hell.."

"'_Guys_', '_hell_'??"

"Pardon me for my slang." You laughed.

The monkey's tried their best to make you the most perfect young woman in the Spiral, they tried correcting your slang and making you dress more properly, they definitely didn't want you to wear what all the males wear. Even Guiart went with this law, and he is supposed to support and protect you! Goodbye to all the comfy days of just chilling with pants and loose shirts. But, at least he would let you do other things that 'proper ladies' shouldn't do. You laid back as the sun bathed your skin, barely a cloud in the sky, and just the soft whisper of the breeze calming your body. Then you heard a familiar clank of metal, the sound of pipes puffing out clouds of smoke, the smell of copper and raw silver. You sat up as you looked ahead and saw the ship that was about to pass by Guiart's. _Armada_... You looked behind you to where Guiart will be but he is no where to be found. You slowly got up and have a mini panic attack inside your head as you frantically looked around, the Armada ship grew near, looking like they were ready to board Guiart's ship. Then a firm hand gripped onto your left hand, you jumped before looking down at who grabbed you, it was Guiart. He nodded his head towards you and you got the message, you need to hide and fast too!

The Armada would board many ships who are just passing by them, just to search for you. You know this was Kane's doing, But would he recognize you now? Your face is now darker due to tan and your hair is a darker color than they used to be.. You wished you could go to Kane, to tell him that you are alive and well, to hug him again... But, the Monquista have told you that the Armada cannot be trusted, they killed many of their troops and the Armada's leader is heartless and will kill anyone at his will. You weren't sure if it was safe for you to go back to him, not yet at least..  
  
"Go to the cargo, remember what father told you if you ever have the need to hide from the Armada or any enemy.."  
  
You nodded as your hand slipped out of his grip as you headed down the stairs and into the lobby of the cargo, everything in the boxes consist of the needs of the Monquista, which is mostly bananas you figured. You passed through the mess of scattered barrels and carriers, you made it to the front of the cargo hold. You pressed your fingertips down on the wood panels on the walls, with a soft click, a door opens revealing a spiraling darkness that seemed to want to pull you in. You took a step forward, setting your backpack on the ground next to the door, you awed at how dark the small place looked. You then heard heavy footsteps stomped their way onto the deck, you panicked and forced yourself into the darkness, a sharp piece of the wood pierced through your cheek. You hissed as quietly as you could and shut the secret door behind you, your body was squished in between the darkness and wood panel door. Your breathing quickened when you looked through the cracks of the panels, you saw the guards storm their way into the cargo. Your sweat dripped down your face like a runny faucet, your eyes darted between guard to the next guard, watching every action they made. They were checking the barrels and caskets that decorated the floor, they went in and out of rooms and discussing a few things here and there with each other. Then they started filing out, you took a deep breath of relief as you closed your eyes. It was even darker now, you felt safe in this darkness that consumed you. There was no Armada, there was no danger, but the only thing that was missing was Kane. He was your world, he was even the one that helped shape it into what it is now, you miss him so much.. Your memories bubbled up in the darkness, it clouded your once dark vision, you remembered the nice things that happened when he was around. You smiled as your face felt hot, you wondered what he looks like now since he is a Supreme Commander. Such a scary title...You wondered what he did to deserve such a title, he was so kind, he shouldn't have that title since he was so nice..  
  
The sputter of steam made you open your eyes and peer through the wood panels, you didn't realize you were still in your black world. You then noticed a pair of black empty soulless eyes staring back at you. Your shoulders tensed as your mind rushed, you felt like a statue under the cold glare of the winter nights, you held back any cough and whimpers that erupted in your throat. You didn't even blink... It's head twitch to the side, in one of it's sockets there was a soft red glow, too faint for you to clearly see it. You gulped, you didn't know how long you held the stare until he turned and marched up the stairs. You let one heck of a breath out, as your knees became noodles and you slowly sank to the ground. You pressed against the hidden door with your foot and softly kicked it open, the door opened with a small shriek. You crawled out, coughing and gasping for air as the dust followed you out the door. You kicked the door closed and sat up, you stretched your arms and legs. You shakenly got up, grabbed your backpack, and headed upstairs. You found Guiart up there, he looked....terrified. You went up to him and opened your mouth to say something but closed it when you saw the discomfort looming over Guiart, what he saw was something that terrified him to a point where he was shaking uncontrollably. You plopped yourself down next to him and looked off into the burning rays of sunset, you felt his fearful vibe radiating off of him.   
  
"What happened?"  
  
"....D-did you see t-the last o-one?"  
  
"Yeah? What did he do?"  
  
"....He threatened m-me..."  
  
That once scared expression melted away and turned into an angry one.  
  
"Apparently, he found my ship suspicious, and now he'll report to the Spymaster and they will investigate Monquista territory! What did you do?!"  
  
"I did nothing! I hid myself behind the wa-" You paused.  
  
You remembered, you left your backpack right next to the hidden door and that chipped wood panel must've had a tiny sample of your blood. You face palmed at your stupid decision and sighed as you leaned your head back.  
  
"When will the investigation start?"  
  
"Tomorrow, perhaps, early in the morning." He sighed. "You'll have to get prepared tonight to journey to the Monquistian and Valencian border."  
  
You stood up and looked at Guiart straight in the eye. "What? I'm leaving Monquista?"  
  
He only sighed. "You are not safe there anymore, even if we hid you, they will still find you. You shouldn't underestimate their searching abilities, especially the Spymaster's abilities."  
  
"His name was Deacon, wasn't it?"  
  
"..Indeed..."  
  
You heard about Deacon before, from one of the town folk. You heard that he is a very cold individual and wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone if they tamper with the Armada's business or plans. He does good with his job as he knows everyone's information and where they last went, kind of creepy, but suits him due to his title. He rarely knows much about you thankfully since you have completely disappeared from the public places and even the secret places where he roams. You remembered seeing him before, it was 3 years ago when you did. He was in a shallow area filled with crooks, bandits, and assassins who were making a living underground and so starved for wealth and attention. You were cloaked so no one would suspect who you really are, assassins are the ones who were cloaks that would cover their mouth and eyes so no one would recognize them. You were just exploring at that time and you discovered this place in the dungeons of Monquista, how these things got under here, you don't know and something tells you you don't want to know. You saw Deacon discuss with a group of shady people, he even gave them a fat pouch filled with money, of course their greedy faces brightened at the sound of gold so they listened to what the Spymaster had to say. You tried to get a closer look at the rolled up maps they were given and what Deacon was talking about, you still tried your best to fit in with the crowd that surrounded you. All you heard was "kill these" and "El Dorado", that name seemed to ring a bell in your head but you can't remember where that came from. Then you saw Deacon lay his eyes on you, your cloak had gold trimming so it was easy to spot you in a crowd. He might've thought you were suspicious as he went towards you, in a panic, you turned around and headed down the other direction. You looked over your shoulder and you saw him weave through the crowd, he was on your tail and his hand almost landed on your shoulder before you took off. You ran through the busy street that reeks with the smell of hard liquor and tobacco smoke, your lungs felt heavy and disgusting by the time you were able to get out of the crowd. You panted as you looked behind you to see if he's still following you, he wasn't anymore. You exited the dungeon as quickly as you could..  
  
The ride home to Monquista was uneventful for the most part, a few Monquistian ships passed by and the sky only grew darker. The cold breeze started to blow into your face, you just wanted it to pick you up and carry you away, away from this trouble and away from this cruel world that was given to you. But everytime you open your eyes, it's just the same world. The docks were bare, only a few soldiers stood proud at the entrance, but they look tired as well. You went down the ladder and stomped off the docks, you were so busy being disappointed in yourself. Nothing even caught your attention due to how upset you were, you wanted to scream, but you didn't know what to scream at. Yourself? Your bedroom wall? You dragged your feet over along the cobblestone path that glistened with stars, it reflected the night sky. Guiart was right behind you, he sees your distress and wishes to help but there is nothing to be done to make you feel happy at this point. You're losing the only family you have left and it's slowly eating away at your heart. Now the Monquistians have to suffer the pressure of the Armada and punishment for hiding the Steam Mistress, for hiding you.  
  
"We'll make it," As if he read your mind, Guiart continued. "I'm sure of it. After all, King Casimir doesn't want one of his main supporters to dry out that quickly, aye?"  
  
"They will do something to you all, I'm sure of it and it terrifies me to death. You all may not be my blood family, but you're still _family_."  
  
Guiart only sighed as he took out a couple of keys and unlocked the door before you two, the lock made a soft click when he turned the key and the door opened itself, a gust of wind blew out as if you two startled a sleeping dragon. You trudged inside without even lighting a candle and headed up the stairs into your room.  
  
"Remember to get ready, we'll be leaving in an hour."  
  
You only waved it off as you opened your door and, silently as you could, slam it shut. You collapsed onto your bed, your head in a daze. You can already imagine the horror the Monquistians will be in when the Armada shows up, they're going to be eaten alive by the starved gear wolves. Your stomach churned by the screams they will make when being slaughtered, the desperate cries they'll make for help. And it will be all your fault...You felt your tears build up in your eyes, the blur of the earth only moved slowly now as your imagination dragged you into a pit of despair. That was before your eyes laid on _him_.  
  
You got up and went over to the mechanical body before you, you checked the skin before keeping the clothes on him. You then pulled your backpack aside and dug into it. You pulled out a few gears here and there, you opened his forearm and placed the gears in the places where they should be. You closed the sheet of metal and took a step back, admiring how he turned out. This thing was a project you have been working on for 7 years, a Clockwork that looked like an Armada soldier but has his own unique styles. He looks like he would've came from one of the Armada's elite court, Kane's court. Ever since you saw Kane's designs when you were little, you always wanted to make a creature of your own too, one that was Clockwork like his. So, you designed a Clockwork of your own, It took a very long time to try and complete him, but he is almost done! A little more gears for the limbs and then he'll be up and running in no time! You got excited from the thought, watching your robotic baby, learning and developing by himself in this wide vast world. Maybe you're overreacting but, the thought of bringing this thing to life still excited you. Wait, like any other Clockwork, he must have a name.. But, what name? You thought long and hard, you even paced around the room trying to think of a name for him. A couple of options came up into your mind but you didn't really like them. 

'_Able_'..

Maybe that name will do..

Finally, a smile appeared on your face as you tiredly looked up and down on him, your son. You were very proud of yourself, before the feeling faded as you coughed and collapsed to the ground. Suddenly, in a flash, it was harder for you to breath and to even think correctly. You searched around the room and dragged yourself over to the cabinet beside your bed. The world was moving without you and it made you feel sick and dizzy as you searched the cabinet, you knocked many other bottles over before your hand grazed over a silver cold object. You immediately grabbed it and sat up; you placed the object in the hole on the back of your neck and started to turn it, winding yourself up. When your lungs cleared and your vision straightened, you took out the object and took a deep breath. You then looked down on your hand where the object was; it was a wind-up key used for little mechanical toys.

  
The key was given to you by your mother before she left to be with your father, who was a pirate. Without her key, your mother would die within a few months. You couldn't help but feel sad for her and you had a couple of restless nights of crying yourself away. Kane was there to comfort you though, rubbing your back, hugging you lightly, and hum a little tune while rocking back and forth until you stop crying... _-ahem-_ Anyways, the key is supposed to boost your heart since the Steam Mistress's heart only pumps ever so often, why is that is whenever you give blood to a machine, you give pieces of your heart into them too. When the key hits it's stopping point, you must wind it again till it can't wind up anymore or you'll die soon since your heart would slow and stop all together. Every Steam Mistress or Steam Master has a specific key and hole on the back of their necks for their hearts, since everyone cannot have the same heart. You were just lucky that your mother's key still fits you, but not until long. You're at that age where your 'baby' hole changes and morphs into an intense and denser hole. So, your mother's key won't fit anymore, you'll have to make a new one when your hole changes. Like losing baby teeth.

You got up, stumbling over your feet a little, you looked at your Able for one last time before you feel backwards and collapsed onto your bed. You were out like a light after that..  
  
Wait, weren't you supposed to pack and leave tonight?

.....

  
"[y/n]? [y/n]........."  
  
You shook your head as you tried to shoo away the someone that was bothering your sleep. You even went as far as putting the covers over your head.  
  
"[Y/N]!!"  
  
Your eyes shot open as your back tensed, like a cat who was spooked. You looked up at the source of the booming voice, it was only Guiart, you groaned and slapped him with a pillow. He took it and smacked you with it, from that you fully sat up, dazed you looked around the room. Then you realized, your eyes shot back to the window, the sun was slowly peeping out from the horizon. You looked back at Guiart, who had a displeased look on his face as he forced you to stand. You quickly went to business and packed up everything you would need on the journey which consists of maps, blankets, clean pairs of clothes, a lantern with enough fuel to last a week, food, fresh clean water, and your wind-up key. You grabbed a string hanging loose of one of your blankets and pulled the string out, you then put the string through one of the holes on the key, you tied both of the ends together making a necklace. You put the necklace on and was about to leave before a little voice called out to you..  
  
****_M-Mother..? Please don't leave me...  
  
_You turned around to look behind you.. _Able_.. You were going to leave him behind without a second thought, what a horrible mother you would've been. You went back towards him, stroking his left cheek and placing your forehead on his. Guiart noticed this.  
  
"He can go with you, if you want to bring it with you.."  
  
"...He is my son after all, what mother could I be if I left him behind?"  
  
Guiart shook his head, he thought the whole self claiming mother of a machine is childish and often he thinks that you might be crazy when you call the robot, a hunk of metal, your son when you're not even blood with it! But, he lets you do you, since you really care for this lifeless thing a lot as if it were your son. You started to unbuckle him out of his stand and you grabbed his shoulder and waist to balance him, he was extremely heavy but you managed. But, getting him down the stairs would be like pulling teeth; you had to find some way to get him down the stairs without tripping or falling. On things like this, you wished you didn't live in a tower like a princess waiting year after year for her prince. Except, that prince is waiting for you. You got him out of the door and you looked down the steps, only 28 steps, you thought positive that you would manage to get down from there. You were very steady with the first few steps, your knees shook each time you felt like you were losing balance. Half way down now, and it seems that everything is going your way! .... Well, it was. A piece of cloth that hung off of Able's side was caught underneath your foot and you slipped. You glided down the steps as you held Able on top of you so he wouldn't get damaged, your feet sprung to action as they pressed hard against either side of the walls, holding you there in a tight space. You whined and groaned in pain, your butt really hurt and your back has felt better days, you looked over Able's lifeless body to see how many more steps to take now.. 1 more... You groaned in annoyance as your feet moved away and you slid to the floor, Guiart was laughing really hard to a point that he may cough up his own lungs.   
  
"I was going to ask if you needed help, but you looked like you were handling it!"  
  
"Haha, very _funny_..."  
  
You said in your best sarcastic tone you mustered up as you got up, your legs threatened to give way, but you stood tall as you felt your back crack. It wasn't broken or misplaced, only from the uncomfortable form it was in. You sighed as you pulled your son up and headed out the door to the carriage that awaited you, the early morning fog greeted you as the soft wall of mist made you blind for a couple of seconds. You gently threw Able into the back of the carriage and placed a blanket over him so the mist won't touch him, you climbed into the back and covered yourself with a blanket to protect you from the cold gaze of dawn that shivered your spine. Guiart went over to the side where you were and grabbed onto your hand which was hanging loose outside the carriage, you looked at him and noticed the sorrow filled eyes that were put on display on his face.  
  
"You are to venture to the border, meet the Ancient Witchdoctor, she'll give you shelter and a place to hide from enemies eyes. I wish my home could provide it but alas; it cannot now.."  
  
You felt a surge of guilt pulse through you as you squeezed his tiny hand, your lip quivered.  
  
"I'm sorry, my brother, this is my fault. And one day, I hope to repay you for your sacrifice."  
  
He only smiled in reply. "Until we meet again?"  
  
"Until we meet again.."  
  
Your hand let go of his once the carriage started moving, you waved one last goodbye to him before he disappeared in the fog. You laid back and covered yourself with a blanket, to fool others that you're just a pile of cargo. You looked at your son who laid beside you, he looks like he is sleeping himself, but with his eyes open. You sighed as you turned over to your side and looked at the textures of the wood before you, you thought long and hard about what to do now. You've heard stories about the Ancient Witchdoctor, she was the first ever Witchdoctor that existed and her magic is very powerful. But, you were also told she is kind and generous and would always help the ones in desperate needs. Nobody knows her real name or has ever seen her face, she wears a heavy dark green cloak that covers her face and head. Her posture is hunched and she is small, she is even smaller than you. She carries her magical staff wherever she went, for what reason? You had no idea. Her skin was told to have the feeling of dried leather and soft baby skin, her skin color was also a disgusting shade of green. Her voice is raspy and quiet, it gets really hard to hear her sometimes. You also heard that she was the many survivors of the Polarian war, maybe...Just maybe... She'll have the information to explain what happened to Kane over the 7 years you and him have been apart. Nobody talks about Kane, or mostly the people on the streets, they are all just too afraid to talk to him. You'll be the first person to ever talk to Kane, in person..  
  
Your eyelids grew heavy, as the soothing hands of slumber comforted you until you closed your eyes and dreamed.  
  
But, what will you dream? Or what will you _remember_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~A little bit of a notice!~
> 
> The next chapter might be confusing to most people so I'll explain it here;
> 
> The next chapter will be something called 'A flashback', at this point, the reader or Kane will be experiencing a memory that supports the main story and gives more character into the character. It will explain how certain things came to be and character development. The only way to find out it's a flashback is if you see this in the summary -----> "~-Rewind-~" and to know when the flashback ends for the next chapter is this -----> "~-Continue-~"
> 
> Alright? Okie dokie-


	4. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
> 
> \--Pslam 147:3
> 
> ~-Rewind-~
> 
> ~|Warning: Lots of fluff and a little angst...?|~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first flashback you remember, it will get emotional so sit tight in this roller coaster of feels-

_"Momma? Where are you going?"_  
  
_Your vision was clogged as your throat throbbed from it's own squeezing pressure as it tightened, your vision was blurry with tears, and your body was shaking from the cold breath of the wind. You watched your mother stop and take a deep breath before turning back to you, she completely melted from that look on your face. She hated that look, it only makes it harder for her to leave... She stepped towards you and crouched down to your level, you took a steady step back. You hugged your stuffed bunny, it would pop like a balloon if you hugged even tighter. She grabbed one of your hands and held it out in front of you to see, you felt the cold hard texture of an object in your hand. You looked down at your hand before looking back up at her, her eyes were wet with salty tears as her lip quivered with fear. She moved her hand away, revealing your tiny clenched fist, you opened your hand to see what she put in there. Your eyes widened, it was a wind-up key. But, it wasn't any ordinary key, it was your mother's key. It got harder for you to breath as you looked back and forth between the wind-up key in your hand and your teary-eyed mother. You shook your head violently as you denied on what would happen to your mother without this key. You tried to cry out and tell her to take it back but, all that came out was raspy gasps and whimpers of the pain coming from your heart. You covered your face with your hands as you slowly shook your head, the dark clouds rolled in above you and let out it's own tears on Cuspary. Seems like both you and the sky are unhappy. Your mother moved your hands away from your face and whispered something so small, so soft, you could barely hear it from the howling wind that swept through the land. It sounded like she said "I love you" one last time before she bolted towards the ladder that hung from the edge of the ship.  
  
The wind almost picked you up and tried to carry you somewhere far from here, but you then turned tail and fled to the Palace doors. Once you got inside, you slammed the doors shut, as if keeping out a monster that awaited you outside. You wiped the tears away from your face as you dragged your soggy dress up the stairs to the second floor. You trudged down the halls, your eyes glued towards the patterned carpet below your feet, caught up in a daze as you dragged your wet bunny behind you. You looked down at the wind-up key in your hand, your blood boiled as your body heat rose. You wanted to throw it at a wall, anything, just to chuck it at something! You turned towards the wall next to you and got ready to throw the useless thing away. But, there was a large painting in the way; your mother and grandfather looked so happy in that picture...where is that happiness now? You suddenly weren't so angry anymore as your arm with the key in it went limp and fell to your side, you looked down at the ground once more._  
  
_"No, no! You are never going to make me do such a thing!"_  
  
_ You jumped when you heard a booming voice, you turned slowly to the door behind you. Light peeked it's way from under the cracks of the door. You went up to it and placed your ear onto it, to hear what's happening on the other side. _  
  
_ "You are my creation! My son! You should follow the orders of your maker!"_  
  
_ "So what?! You're not going to make me do it all because it's your stupid, foolish little revenge plan!"_  
  
_ You shivered, it was Mr. Gazpaccio, he was arguing with.....Kane?_  
  
_ "I built you for that reason! Why are you so soft?! Is it because of that heart Grandfather Clocksworth gave you?! Or is it his little granddau-"_  
  
_ **"She had nothing to do with this!!"  
  
**You jumped once more in shock, you felt an urge to release your salty tears again. Kane... He never spoke of that tone before... It was terrifying... It even scared you and probably Gazpaccio. Everything sat still in silence, it made you squirm from the uncomfortable air that tightened around you. Finally, someone spoke;_  
  
_ "I am not your slave, I am not a puppet for your madness and revenge, that is your own problem. And if you were really my father, you wouldn't have told me to do those kinds of things. Or built me for that purpose. Don't **ever** bring up [y/n] again, she is not an excuse and I don't tolerate it if she is used as one. Now, leave me alone, I don't want to be in the same room with you again."_  
  
_ You heard heavy footsteps stomp their way over to the door, you got up and backed away from the door, right before you tripped over your own dress and landed on the ground with a grunt. The door swung open, Kane who nearly trampled over your weak form looked down at you, stood there with a pained expression in his empty sockets. The anger that once filled his vision was now worry, pity, and sadness. Your stomach churned and your throat turned sour, what are you going to do?!_  
  
_ "[y/n].....?"_  
  
_ You quickly got up and ran down the hall with no second thought, you were wailing as you clenched your cold bunny to your chest, it stung your chest with a touch of frost but you didn't care. The air that blew past you felt like a million needles piercing your skin causing goosebump to rise to your skin and spread like a disease. You heard Kane call out your name behind you but you didn't stop, you didn't even look over your shoulder. You just couldn't bare to look at him, his tone back in that room, you never would've thought..  
_  
_ This was the second argument you witnessed today, only this time, the first argument was with your mother and your grandfather. They screamed at the same tone Kane and Gazpaccio were screaming at, only it was a little bit more aggressive. Your mother was saying that she should bring you with her so you could finally meet your blood father and when grandfather disapproved, she started screaming at him louder and shouting cusses at him, that's when he hit her. He slapped her across the face, you flinched when you heard the contact between his hand and your mother's cheek. Never in your life would you believe that your grandfather would ever do such a thing, even to someone that is of his own kin. You know he didn't mean to do so, judging by the tears that ran down his face, but he was pushed to his limit and you respected that. You were just surprised that he would slap his daughter, and so painfully hard as well. In tears and a red handprint on her face, your mother stormed out of the room with her expression twisted into a blind rage. Your grandfather was left there, sulking to the ground, while covering his eyes that dripped with fresh tears. Everything that you had was falling apart it seems..._

_You opened your door pretty roughly and slammed it shut, a faint echo of the door made its way down the hall. You ran up to your bed and dived into it, you bundled yourself up in a blanket cocoon as you pulled at your hair and stuffed the pillow in your face. You let out years worth of panic cries, wails of sadness, and screams of anger. Tears now stained your skin and the sheets of your bed, you slowly laid down as the scream and wails softened. You closed your eyes, just so you could invade this darkness and live there, where there isn't pain and sadness like the real world provided. You then heard a soft knock on door, already knowing who it is, you decided not to answer the door. And like you predicted, the figure walked into the room and went over to your curled up form on the bed, you didn't want to see him. Not now anyways..._   
  
_"[y/n]? Are you alright?" Kane tried lifting up the covers to see you._   
  
_ You pulled the covers down and back onto your helpless body. "No..." You replied truthfully. "Everything seems to be falling from my grasp, my mother leaves and left her wind-up key here, and you and Gazpaccio fought which isn't normal in those kinds of daily standards.."_   
  
_"Well, there was a reason why me and my.......father... fought.." He tilted his head to the side. "What happened to your mother?"_   
  
_ Your face only twisted in sadness as you curled up even more and sobbed into your knees. _   
  
_ "I'm guessing you don't want to talk about it, your Highness?" You nod your head in reply._   
  
_He then pulled you into his lap, your feet dragged behind you and your hands wrapped around your chest as if you were wearing a strap jacket. You looked up at him as he gave you a knowing look as he rested your head on top of yours and slowly rocked back and forth while keeping you into his arms. Your breathing slowed as you closed your eyes, you calmed down and took a deep breath, your head finally clearing from the bad thoughts. It was always nice to know that he would always be there for you, there for your safety, to pull you out of the negative vibes without hurting you. You could hear his heartbeat, it was loud, it felt like his whole rib cage shook each thump of his heart. You found yourself slowly drifting off into slumber as your eyelids grew heavy and started to fall over your eyes, your mind going blank and off to dreaming.  
_

_Kane looked down at your form and noticed your body limp and relaxed, he assumed you were asleep. He smiled a little, he brushed back your hair that laid on your face. For some reason, he loved seeing you in this form, so tired and so relaxed while experiencing a wonderful dream perhaps. He wished he could dream... Anything really he just wanted to experience something that sounded so unique like a fantasy, so mesmerizing. He heard about dreams, how magical and secretive they are, he even read stories with characters experiencing dreams like they were living in one. How they described it... It was oh so amazing... He looked up at the ceiling of your room which was painted with yellow stars that scattered through_ _out the room and continued to orbit. He turned his head over at the nightlight that shined bright, it's skin decorated with swirls and symbols. He watched it spin slowly, collecting thoughts that clung to his mind, he was lost in his Golden Mind. Then the format was done in his head, he knows exactly what to make for you to calm. He kept you into his arms as he got out of the bed while taking the nightlight with him, he'll have to borrow it for now. He pushed the door that was already open closed when he got out of the room, he made his way done the hall, making sure you were comfortable in his arms. _   
  
_ "What were you thinking?"_   
  
_ Kane stopped when he heard the voice, his empty gaze looked over at the open door in front of him. A growl erupted in his throat._   
  
_ "What was **I** thinking? I heard you and your 'son' yell at each other in the other room, what was all that about? Certainly something important?"_   
  
_ A faint grumble echoed out the door. "Nothing of your concern, Grandfather Clocksworth. What's important now is that your daughter ran away. I could send out search ships so we could bring-"_   
  
_ "She tainted her blood, she's no longer a Steam Mistress, she is no longer my daughter." Cold venom laced his voice._   
  
_ Heavy stomps went out the door, Kane watched when Grandfather Clocksworth headed out the door. To get his attention, Kane made his best 'ahem' noise, that made Grandfather jump._   
  
_ "Oh, Kane my boy, what are you doing with [y/n]?" His once frustrated expression evaporated and went back to his signature jolly Santa Claus face._   
  
_ "I'm going to take her to my workshop, I'm planning on making her something before I go to Valencia."_   
  
_ He nodded. "Ah, yes, the trip to Valencia to visit King Casimir. You don't have to tag along Kane, [y/n] would really miss you.."_   
  
_ "But, Grandfather Clocks-"_   
  
_ He chuckled. "Please, call me Daniel, son. Anyways, I don't quite understand your motivation on going to Valencia.."_   
  
_ "Sir, I just want to have a better connection to that place, and-"_   
  
_ "Let me guess, it's because of the massive amounts of energy coming from the black clouds?"_   
  
_ Valencia had seen better days, black clouds rolls in and rolls out every day, producing amounts of electricity that went off the charts. Cuspary only gets the energy from the electricity underground that produces in massive amounts from the left over power, tools, and parts from the stormgate to El Dorado. That is a story for another time.. Anyways, there are theories that Cuspary was the place that caused these clouds to forever haunt the lands of Valencia due to the production of electricity underground and surfacing to strike the skies. It's dust formed clouds and endless energy, since Valencia is Cuspary's neighbor, the clouds migrated to Valencia and never left. But, Kane doesn't want to go to Valencia for that..._

_He was asked by the King himself on making Clockworks for the Valencian Navy.._  
  
_ King Casimir admired Kane's designs in one of the meetings where Kane was involved in for calculation and architecture(he accidently brought his robo designs with him-), the King pulled Kane aside and talked to him privately. The King wanted advanced and strong beings to be a part of his army and since Kane's designs consisted of Clockwork soldiers for the Cusparian Navy a.k.a the most powerful military in the Spiral, the King wanted the same Clockworks to be in charge of his military. Not only that, but he even wanted Kane to be the leader of the military. The King believed that Kane, who is one of the most advanced beings in the Spiral, had the skills of leadership and control. H_e_ _would make a fine Commander. The only thing that was holding Kane back was you, he predicted that he would be gone for the rest of your life if he accepts, he'll go to the King just to hear him out. He doesn't want to leave you behind, he was afraid you would be very lonely, the image of you so depressed and alone tore his heart into two._  
  
Kane nodded. "Yes, the King requested for me to investigate what formed the clouds and demands to be rid of them."  
  
Daniel sighed. "Of course, well while you are investigating the clouds, m_e and the King will be speaking about our forces and lands to conquer. When you are done, please wait until me and the King are done talking, then you'll go and talk to the King about what you collected."  
___  
Kane nodded and did a salute before walking past Daniel and continued down the hall, an endless tunnel of darkness..  
  
You were in an endless abyss of darkness yourself, just laying there while the darkness held you close, you felt safe and warm.. Again, you heard a heartbeat. It sounded like it was in pain, it's thumps were out of rhythm, and it seemed to speak to you. To reach out towards your own beating heart. But, you could already see; both of your hearts were connected with a thick string of red, it pulsed matching the same rhythm as the heart and yours. Now you couldn't tell, was it you heart that was unsteady, or was the other heart unsteady? _ _Then a melody played; the sound came from behind you, it sung from the vocal _cords_ of a music box. You know this melody... Your grandfather hummed you this song and told you the lyrics... It was always your favorite song... You found yourself singing the song in your head..._

_ You are my sunshine; my only sunshine _   
  
_ It was only then that you opened your eyes and looked up towards the source of the noise, you were correct, it was a music box. What the music box was sitting on was a gloved hand, you looked in front you and you saw Kane's impressed face. Thunder boomed outside the workshop's window. You jumped and clung to him while shaking from both fear and the cold that was still around your body. He held you tightly and looked around before loosening his grip, he looked down at you. Your expression was a mix between fear and curiosity as you hesitantly look up at him. You looked over at his desk, you did realize too that he was leaning back on the chair and his foot balanced how far he went, but you saw your starry night nightlight torn apart and missing a majority of its pieces. Your grandfather made that nightlight for you when you were a baby, you kept it ever since, the music box in that thing didn't work anymore. _ _You sat up and stretched, you noticed you were still sitting in his lap when he was in his leaning back position, you also noticed the music box in his hands. It sparkled under the light of the lamp that hung from the ceiling, without the holes of the nightlight you had, the music box still emits stars that scattered throughout the workshop's walls. _   
  
_"Who is it for?"_   
  
_ "For you, whenever I'm not there to comfort you."  
  
You make me happy; when skies are grey_   
  
_ He hands you the music box, your fingertips traced the outline of the pattern on top of the box, you then traced the sides and you noticed a small hole on the back of the box. You turned it around and noticed the hole was like something at the back of a robot toy, it needs a wind-up key. You looked around, noticing the key wasn't in your hand anymore, you looked at Kane with worry on your face._   
  
_ "Have you seen a wind-up key anywhere?"_   
  
_He chuckled before showing you his clenched fist, he opened it revealing your key. Happy, you took it from his hand and inserted the key into the hole on the side of the box, you then turned the key with glee. You heard the clicks as you kept winding up the box, then the key suddenly stopped, you pulled out the key and watched the box. The lid slowly opened; a small glass ballerina raised out of the clockwork mess of small gears, she started spinning when the song played. It's the song from before, the song that night light always played.. _   
  
_ You'll never know, dear; How much I love you  
  
You held the box close to your chest, your heart seemed to touch the box. You felt Kane's grip held unto you tighter than before as his face was buried in the back of your neck, you couldn't understand why he was like that. You couldn't understand what he said earlier either, 'whenever I'm not there to comfort you'? Your stomach churned at the thoughts that buzzed in your mind, was he going to leave you someday? Was he going to suddenly disappear one day? You closed your eyes shut as you felt your salty tears build up again, you didn't want him to leave, you love him too much. What would happen to your heart when it happens? Will it shatter? Will it be broken? Your open hand gripped onto his sleeve, you could already imagine your world finally falling apart, you would be so alone... Sucked in by the darkness, forever falling, forever thinking what you did wrong to deserve this.. _   
  
_ Please don't take my sunshine away_   
  
_ Kane noticed your tense posture, he rubbed your forearms, lifting his head up. _   
  
_ "[y/n]? Is something wrong?"_   
  
_ "...Is it true?"_   
  
_ "Is what true?"_   
  
_ "Are you going to leave me one day?"_   
  
_ He froze, did you know? He was going to be away for a little while, or he guesses a couple days, still it wouldn't be that long. His fingers twitched, his mind raced, and his heart pumped with fear._   
  
_"I... No, that isn't true. I will never leave your side, nobody will take me away from you. But, when I have to go for important things, then I'll have to go. There shouldn't be any worry though, it will have an end date for how long I am gone. I'm going to go to Valencia for a few days, only for research of the black clouds, then I'll come back when you least expect it."_   
  
_It pained him to lie to you, it cracked his very heart to have those filthy lies escape his mouth, and for you to hear them. He wanted to tell you the truth, to tell you every secret he held for a very long time. But, he doesn't want to see you fear, you sad over many depressing things that are currently happening. He held onto you tighter and brought you closer to him. The silence was hung up in the room and stayed there for quite a bit, no other noise disrupt the silence except for the light taps of the raindrops on the windows. _   
  
_"Oh, I understand, I did hear the clouds were becoming a problem.." You finally broke the silence._   
  
_ Kane didn't like that tone in your voice, you sounded so....lost. "[y/n]…. I'll always have time for you in the end, I won't be that distracted to have my mind off of you..I'll never forget about you.."_   
  
_You felt sweet relief upon hearing that, at least you wouldn't be forgotten by him, you know damn well that you would never forget about him. You cried, your tears dripped down your face like a couple of waterfalls, they were the tears of both joy and sadness. Kane's shoulders tensed upon seeing you crying your eyes out and slowly had a mini panic attack, was it something he said? You sat up and wrapped your arms around his neck and embraced him, you buried your face into his neck as you continued to let those tears spill out. He flinched before wrapping his arms around you, returning the embrace as he held you close to him as possible. He patted your back and tried to whisper comforts into your ear, he sounded unsure for the most part and probably is in a state of panic. You started to calm as your tears dried up and had a few sniffs here and there before pulling away and looking at Kane, mostly for the reaction. His face was twisted into confusion and a lot of worry._   
  
_"You humans are extraordinarily weird."_   
  
_You giggled from the comment. "Humans are weird, they do a lot of weird things, that means you would be weird."_   
  
_He only shrugged. "I know I am."_   
  
_You giggled again as you sighed and hugged him again, for a man made completely of gears and cold metal, he felt warm and comforting which is really odd. He embraced you back, resting his head on top of yours, and watched you look at the music box which was still in your hands. Your eyelids grow heavy as you breathed in and let out a long yawn as you rubbed your eye, you cuddled up against him and closed your eyes for a second. You sighed deeply as you opened your eyes again and looked up at him._   
  
_"Hey, Kane?"_   
  
_"Hm?"_   
  
_"How much do you love me?" It is a simple question you always ask friends and family, only because you were curious._   
  
_All he did was just chuckle before answering you,_   
  
  
"With all my heart."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~-Continue-~


	5. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All along,
> 
> I thought I was lost,
> 
> but now I know,
> 
> that was just the feeling of my heart
> 
> searching endlessly,
> 
> for you."
> 
> \--William C. Hannan

_-chirp- -chirp-_  
  
How long have you been asleep?  
  
Your bones ached and creaked when you tried to sit up, a groan escaped your lips as the cloth moved and revealed your face to the bright beaming sun. It stung your eyes as you shielded them, stupid bee, always getting the right chance to make your eyes feel intense eye pain. Your muscles felt sore as you lifted your arms over your head, you heard your bones make popping and snapping noises, you felt relieved each pop your skeleton made. Then, like a wave, memories swept through your vision. You remembered everything that happened last night, the cold numb feeling of guilt held your heart down again, you wanted to cry but reframed yourself from doing so. The music box... You need it right now.. You tried to breathe as slowly and calmly as you could, you dug into your backpack, moving your hand around to find it. You grunted and got a little upset noticing that it was harder to find the box than you thought, maybe it's in the pockets? You started to panic when you still couldn't find the damn thing, your breathing quickened as you started to cry. Where is it?! You were sure you packed it, you would never leave the box behind! You dumped the bag and all of its contents spilled out, the items scattered and ran across the bed of the wagon. You rummaged around the mess in search for that box, nothing cold or round ever went to your grasp. You checked near Able and all around from underneath the cloth that covered you and your son. You were then thwacked at the head, a sharp pain surfaced on the top of your scalp, were you hit with a whip?  
  
"Calm down back there, we are in public, you dunce."  
  
A growled erupted in your throat but you held back a frustrated scream as you slid back down on the floor, you started to cry. That one thing, that box that was made for you to calm down and focus on your emotions, it was made from Kane too. The only thing you have left of him. You curled up in a fetal position as you covered you face with your hands, your tears dripped through the cracks between your fingers and stained the wooden floor. You tried to calm yourself by sniffing in the new air that surrounded the wagon but your nose was now clogged, you could barely smell the fresh breeze. You felt the wagon hit a bump, you went up in the air and came crashing down to the bottom, your back ached now as you groaned. You hissed when you placed your hands on your back just to feel how bad it is, you felt the creak and heard the crack of your back as you squirmed around. You then felt the wagon go to a sudden halt.  
  
"I wouldn't continue forward if I were you, the toy soldiers have set up a roadblock in the middle of the path to the border. Going there will be suicide."  
  
"Is there conflict happening?"  
  
"Hardcore, between the Ancient Witchdoctor's disciples and the Armada troops, it was something about the transportation of goods that Valencia promised the Ancient Witchdoctor for supplies. The disciples did cease the cargo but, two Armada ships were destroyed in the process. The mechanical fiends believed the disciples were the ones that destroyed the ships, they're busy fighting so getting in the middle of it will cost your life."  
  
"Shame, is there any other way around the chaos?"  
  
"Yes, but taking that road is much more dangerous than the road you're heading down. It is a decision that is up to you."  
  
You heard a grumble as the wagon continued forward, you dragged yourself over to the end and lifted up the sail cloth that cloaked you in it's shade. Maybe the music box fell off and it'll be an easy grab. Your eyes searched the area in front of you along the path, no; no box could be seen when you looked everywhere around the path. You got a good look at the town you were passing, the town was flushed with walls or quartz lining with gold trimmings to show off wealth, the streets were yellow brick roads as they stretched over to the many woods that surrounded the area. You heard that it was very rare for a Monquistian village to be built next to the woods since Monquista is pretty much barren, mostly deserts and savannah that coat the surface of the territory. You looked around at the many faces that passed by, they weren't shy on showing off their wealth by wearing it, their dresses and suits were finely crafted and not a single dust particle stained the clothing. Not only that but they are wearing heavy jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets, earings, and most importantly, rings. You did see little monkeys too, they weren't any different than the public, they wore their riches too. Only being a little more clumsy with them and they fall off their small heads easier, they don't even seem to care either when it slips off them. A handful of kids watched the wagon pass, they got curious and went up the wagon and tried to climb into it when no one is looking or realizing. They almost saw you before a bell rung on top of the church, the kids groaned and sighed as they jumped down from the wagon and headed towards the church along with other monkeys. You sighed in relief as you looked back at your son, Able.  
  
"Welp, your mom just lost her music box that was made for her by a very special person in her life, the only thing left of his past."  
  
You whispered, mostly to yourself, but also at Able who still stayed there; emotionless and frozen in his sleep. You sighed, you want to make him come to life but, you don't have time to teach him everything that he should know or the patience yet to withstand taking care of a 'child'. You thought you were ready, yet the voice in the back of your mind reminds you that it wouldn't be easy and you are not that much educated in motherhood. It comes by instincts, yet you have to learn and get used to it, and now is not the time. Not when there is war. You have always sensed war ever since your kidnapping, the Polarian war was only the beginning of the hellfire of wars that follow it. There has been recent conflict between Marley Bone and Valencia when it comes to terms of government officials and riots, a horde of engineers boycotted working for the Armada; they didn't want to continue making their gears and shells of armor like slaves when they're not even paid. Not only that but with the weighting expenses and taxes on Marley Bone is controlled by the Armada. To put it short; the Armada is slowly plaguing Marley Bone to a point where the super power might die and fall apart. To be honest, you never knew why the Armada chose to attack Marley Bone than the other super powers, Polaris is still at its knees and they still don't evade that place. They did give Nepoliguin to Marley Bone because they have one of the most high class prison in the Spiral, it is known as Fort Elena. You never been there yourself, but you were close when you stole a few mechanical parts in their district in Skull Island. Thank god you were faster than the Red Coats.

The wagon hobbled up and down, your eyes slowly closed even though the sun is still showing its face in the sky. Then you heard the sharp sounds of gunshots and whimpers of pain. You peeked from under the sail cloth again, you saw the Armada soldiers battling with people dressed in savage clothing and their skin was painted with symbols and bones that hang off their noses and ears. Both parties didn't even notice the wagon passing through. You saw the tribal people show off their magic as some summoned skeleton warriors and even threw a bit of their magic at the Armada soldiers. The sound that the collision made was loud as it blasted your eardrum, you held both of your ears as you groaned and almost screamed in pain at the noise. Then all you could hear now was a loud ringing sound that blocked any other sound that tried to enter your hearing. You shook as you tried to ease the pain by rubbing your temples, that worked but the ringing is still loud in your head. A bright light slowly swallowed up your form, you opened your eyes to where the light came from. You then met eyes with another, yet this pair of eyes aren't actually there.. You froze upon realizing.  
  
"Seize this carg-"  
  
You saw a burst of light on the soldier's face, he then fell backwards out of your sight. You can only assume he was shot before your thinking was interrupted by the sudden pull of gravity as you were launched forward. You hit your head against the front side of the wagon, great just great, your ears can't cancel out the ringing noise that still rings and now you have a pounding headache. The world was spinning around you at this point, your eyes couldn't focus on anything around you, you panic from this. Then the wagon suddenly stopped after a little while, you hit your head again without warning and that's when you screamed in annoyance. You quickly covered your mouth as your eyes looked around you, did someone hear you? You summoned up the courage to peek out, thankfully the ringing in your eyes slowly disappeared, you scanned this newfound area. The safety of the sail cloth was pulled back, revealing to the sun your form, you hissed when the rays touched your eyes with such intense heat.   
  
"We have reached your destination, Steam Mistress. I advise you to get out of my wagon quick, I'm busy giving chase with the toy soldiers. We don't want to keep them waiting."  
  
You pulled yourself to your feet, your legs immediately cramped up from being swollen for so long, but you withstand as you hoped out of the wagon. You grabbed your backpack and you slowly but carefully pulled Able out of the wagon, with your weak sore arms, it was pretty hard to stand with his weight against you. You managed still as you wrapped one of his arms around your shoulder and carried all the way to the doorstep of a large building, it was covered in green tiles and symbols at every inch of the wall, like casting many spells all at once. You had a weird feeling in your gut, something just wasn't right about this place, such a creepy vibe it gives off...  
  
"Welcome to the Witchdoctor sanctum." The Monquistian said before hoping back onto the wagon and made the horse start moving his wagon back down the path they came from. "You shouldn't keep her waiting for you."  
  
\------------------------  
  
_<Somewhere is Aragon Skyway>_  
  
"Sir, we just received a distress signal from the eastern side of the border between us and Monquista."  
  
Deacon turned around to face the soldier, upon instinct, the soldier was in his signature saluting pose. Deacon wasn't really pleased with this news, already enough conflict has been stirred up, he seems to tire even though it's physically impossible for him to.

"Send back up over to that area, have them scope out the area for our target, I know she's there.."  
  
The soldier took a bow and headed down the steps to the docks, Deacon watched him leave before looking back at the box that laid in his hand. It was the music box you lost.  
Once Deacon and his fleet arrived in the Monquistian territory, they were treated with such disrespect, he sneered at all of those useless monkeys bring out their weapons and tried to attack his fleet while they were investigating. They had no choice but to fight back themselves, they killed many which was frowned upon by the king and queen of Monquista but they didn't do much about it. They viewed it as just losing pennies, no one cares for them and they are easily replaceable by other coins of higher worth. Deacon didn't view his fellow soldiers like that, he viewed them as playing cards, once one is gone another appears in its place. Again, it's a little similar, they're replaceable. He walked through the crowd, observing the savage primates around him as they showed their teeth and fought with their bare hands. Such animals... But, he later found out or figured out that their target escaped the village before their arrival, so the search party continues. He was quick to find the imprints of a wagons wheel in the dirt path behind the village, he could only assume that you were taken that way. They followed the prints for such a long time, none were bored or tired on this long search, all they felt was determination on finding you. But, when there was a split in the road, Deacon sent small parties of his fleet down both paths. Before he left the path to attend to more greater matters, he noticed something shine in the center point of the path. He picked the mysterious object up and investigated it, it seemed to be a music box. When he turned it over to show the bottom of it, he noticed a pair of initials, it read; "[y/C](y:the first letter in your first name)". His head tilted to the side, he believed he has seen these initials before, but he can't remember _where_ he saw it. He decided to take it with him, in hope that Commander Kane would know what these initials stand for. Even though he doubts that Kane would waste a few minutes of his existence on investigating a pair of mysterious initials but it is worth a try at least.   
  
Now here he is, In front of Kane's Grand Design, ready to go inside and ask him. He didn't feel any worry or fear of course but he did feel...nervous? Yet another emotion that he doesn't recognize. Something was up with him, ever since he was created, he experienced emotions that aren't supposed to be there. It distracts him from the things that are more important than emotions. Without a second thought, he headed inside the Machine. It was busy as usual, construction at place and buzzing with activity that didn't seem to rest at any point. He headed over to the elevator, while doing so, he could already see Kane on the upper level of this Machine. He was with Bishop, probably discussing the finishing touches on the Grand design and what not. He stepped onto the pad and was teleported to the first floor, he turned to face the direction of both Kane and Bishop, his foot trembled as he took a step forward. He then gained courage to reach over to Kane, Bishop turned around when Deacon approached them and left as fast as he could. Noticing this, Kane turned around to face Deacon as well, his arms were crossed making him seem annoyed about something.

"What need do you have of me, Deacon?"  
  
Deacon pulled the music box out of his coat pocket and presented it towards Kane.  
  
"I found this at-"  
  
Before he could even go through hallway in his sentence, Kane quickly snatched the box out of Deacon's hand and looked at it closely. Stunned, Deacon rested his hand at his side and fixed his posture and shocked expression.   
  
"Where did you find it?"   
  
Deacon's gears in his body shook from the tone of the Commander's voice, he sounded colder or what he presumed was cold. Was it...worry that laced his voice? If so, why does Kane feel or is worried?  
  
"On a dirt path, leading to the Ancient Witchdoctor's sanctum. I can only assume our target went there, my fleet is busy searching the area as we speak."  
  
"I believe you don't know what they stand for, do you? That's why you came to me with it?"  
  
Deacon pondered a bit on what he was talking about. Then he realized, he's talking about the initials. "Yes, I don't know what they mean, nor did you tell me."  
  
"They stand for [y/n] Clocksworth, the target." He started to pace, thinking to himself, as he started to mumble something that Deacon couldn't hear.  
  
"Did you make it? It's design looks like something you would make."   
  
He wasn't wrong, the design on the music box was swirls and painted gears, even a few poking out. The colors were black and gold, the black being the base color of the box, and the gold being the swirls that stretched every inch of the box. Kane looked up at him with that same cold stare as always.  
  
"Yes, I did make this, I made it for her.." He paced some more. "Why would she drop it?" He mumbled a little loudly to himself.  
  
Deacon was starting to retreat back to the elevator, the reason why he's here has been achieved, and gave him what he wanted to give him. There shouldn't be anything else he should stick around for. Not only that, but honestly, he just wanted to leave Kane alone to his thoughts. Deacon was pretty unsure about Kane's sudden change of self, when he arrived Kane was himself, but when he gave him the music box... He started to act weird about it, something highly unlike himself, he was worried about the box and that was really weird for Deacon to witness.  
  
"Did I say you were dismissed?"

Deacon stopped. "There's something you need of me?"  
  
"Yes I do. I want you to search the Ancient Witchdoctor's territory, especially the sanctum. I predict that the target is there, you will find her and seize her."  
  
"Not to sound nosey Commander but, why do we need to capture this young woman?"  
  
Kane was looming over a table, the table consisted of piles of paper and a map of the Spiral. There were a few wooden ships on the map, along with other wooden figures placed on the map. Kane didn't even turn around to face Deacon when he spoke.  
  
"Like I said before, you wouldn't be able to understand yet. The only thing I'll tell you is she is the key to getting us to El Dorado, there I will rebuild myself and she will realize where she truly belongs, instead of being in this imperfect galaxy. You are dismissed."  
  
Deacon didn't waste anymore time as he turned back around and headed towards the elevator, a lot was running through his mind. What did he mean he wouldn't understand? He probably would understand if he explained to him what the real purpose was with the target, the reaction that Deacon was given gives him the idea that it's so much more than just the 'key to El Dorado'. Even though he hates to admit it, he does try to talk to Phule about what Kane's true intention with this so called 'target', since Phule likes digging through Kane's drawers when he's not looking. Phule gives out little information and speaks them in riddles so it would be hard for someone like Deacon to understand. It's very frustrating, what are they trying to hide??!!  
  
The anger doesn't matter now,  
  
He has a Steam Mistress to catch.

_ **His so called 'Prize'.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a lot shorter chapter than I thought it would be qwq


	6. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My soul has been searching for you and even though you are miles away, when I close my eyes, I feel you in every breath I take, we are meant to be together as one for all of eternity.
> 
> \---Karen Kostyla

Yesterday was such a blur..

A blur of emotion and mostly hiding in darkness...  
  
You sat up in the bed cot you were in, you stretched and listened to the harmony of cracks that came from your bones, you smiled a little because of this comfort. You looked over to your right and you noticed Able, having his hands on top of his stomach and looking blankly up at the ceiling. You laid back down and looked up at the ceiling yourself, remembering what had happened last night.

~~~~

_You made your way down the hall that led to the main lobby, your footsteps echoed throughout the long wooden corridor, building up the silence that followed you. Then there were multi-color curtains that separated you from the main room._   
  
_"Come in, come in, don't be shy now little one.."_

_The voice was raspy and gentle at the same time, it lured you in as you pushed away the cloth and looked forward. There was a path lining with candles that led to a very old woman, she was hunched over and her robe hung over her face and covered most of her body. Except one of her hands who were poking out of the sleeves to hold her staff that was much more bulky and taller than her. You looked around the room, it was decently small and there were other tribal people hanging around the area. They were staring you down as you went up to the Witchdoctor, or were they not looking at you...? In respect, you went down on one knee and held your head low, like some sort of bow. The Ancient Witchdoctor only pulled you up. You were confused as you stumbled forward a little but not too much to bump into her. That's when you got a whiff of her scent. The smell she had on her was...unique to say the least. It was like a combination of dust, oil, and...pollen? The smell was really different than any other brisk breeze scent or the beautiful aroma of the flowers. She patted your head softly before speaking to you._

_"No need to do that now, child. I am not all high and mighty as they say."_   
  
_You only gulped as you listened to every word that came out of her mouth. Whatever could she mean by that? She is definitely a big deal that is talked over throughout the Spiral for sure. But, now that you think about it, maybe she doesn't like all the praise people would give her. Maybe that's why she didn't accept your bow, now you feel like an idiot for letting yourself do that. Especially someone who is a survivor of the Polarian war, they are treated with the most upmost respect due to their service to their worlds. You kept your head down a you took in her scent again, it was much calming now that you got used to the smell that wavered it's way into your nose's memory. Still, you never smelt anything like it, or maybe you did earlier on that battlefield.. The tribal people were using magic to summon their attacks, each time they used this power, a smell comes off of them. The same oily, dusty, and pollen smell. Is that the smell of magic? You looked down at Able, he's still not alive of course, you wish you could bring him to life so bad. You looked back up at the Ancient Witchdoctor._   
  
_"I'm sorry if it was taken in any offence. I just need a place to rest and a safe place for my son to grow and learn."_   
  
_The Witchdoctor looked down at Able, a low chuckle came out of her._   
  
_"Who is the daddy?"_   
  
_You blushed, considering the thought that maybe...Kane.. "It's a mess to think about, I'll figure it out later.."_   
  
_"Well, young one, you've chosen the right place to stay for the night. It is getting late, no?"_   
  
_You looked away from the Witchdoctor and out the closet window that you could see. She was right, it's almost dark, the sun was so beautiful setting off in the distance. Then your breathing quickened as you grabbed onto your necklace and no hesitation, put the wind-up key in the hole on the back of your neck and started turning. Before you opened your eyes again, there was a flash of everything becoming a blur for a second before everything went back to normal. You sighed happily as you looked back at the Witchdoctor, you noticed the stares of the tribal people so you look at them, their faces were pale white. You didn't know what the problem was until the Witchdoctor lifted her finger to point at you._   
  
_"You're one of the last Cusparians, hm? Very very valuable people, too bad Polaris wanted to get rid of your kind first." She looked at you for a second before gesturing to Able. "What are you waiting for? Don't you want your child to finally awoke and learn from his teachers and caretakers?"_   
  
_You flinched and hesitated before nodding your head and lifting Able up so he would sit up. You placed the keyhole in the back of his neck and starting turning, it was an odd feeling at first, it was like winding up a toy soldier. You felt all of the gears in his body grind together, bringing him life as you felt his body parts twitch and slowly stride to the sides. He lifted his head up to reveal his face, his eye sockets were moving as his hands reached up and grabbed onto your shoulders. Your eyes glimmered with stars as you watched him move on his own, he's alive.. He has been born into this very cruel world... You hugged him and held him close, you could feel him squirm underneath you as you kissed the side of his head. You even started to cry, the tears of joy and sadness, it all flowed down your face like crystal clear waterfalls. So, this is what a mother feels like? You actually enjoy the feeling of being a mother.. He tried to push you off him as he tried to claw away at your back and arms just to make you let go of him. You guessed you were squeezing him too tightly. You let him go and he suddenly tightened his grip on your shoulders so he could gain back balance, your muscles swelled up from the tight grip, you hissed a little from the pain that came after the swelling. You grabbed onto his forearms and helped him stand up, he struggled a lot but was able to stand by himself, with his legs shaking uncontrollably. Once he got used to standing, he stood up straight, his legs now still. _   
  
_"My, what a fine boy he is. Takes after his father."_   
  
_You blushed once more as you looked down at the old woman with irritation, but the expression washed off of you and you looked at her, quite tiredly. You guessed now was the time to ask her about him..  
  
"Ma'am, I need-"_   
  
_"Do you want to know more about Kane?"_   
  
_You were now surprised. "How did-?"_   
  
_"You think that being a Ancient Witchdoctor means that I can't read your mind? Don't be silly my dear."_

_She gestured for you to sit across from her, you did as told and went over to her, slumped while taking a seat in front of the old woman. You heard her breathe heavily, as if she was trying to remember something that was long since forgotten. Now was the time to get a good look at her, you still weren't able to see anything on her face, but you were able to see the skin on her hands. The stories were true on describing the skin that's for sure, the tone was a disgusting shade of green and there were black or brown dots that were sprinkled on the surface. Her nails were long, the edges jagged, and it's color was a light cream color. The staff she was holding was thicker up close than from looked upon from far away, it gave you an unsettling vibe when you grew near it, that staff probably houses her power. Or at least parts of it. You could also see that she was shaking and gripping onto the staff for dear life, she probably can't walk without support. You pitied that._

_"Where to begin, where to begin..." The Witchdoctor spoke as she tapped what would seem to be her chin. "_ _He was with one of the richest families of Valencia and started out there. His power only grew once the King and Queen heard about his presence, they put him in the position of the Supreme Commander. His designs of men made out of gears and wires were made, several armies were made that consisted with just those toy soldiers. With his rule, his strategy, the Armada was able to finally put Nepoleguin in his place once and for all. But, the war continued. Polaris was being attacked still due to many assumes and thoughts, they still even had a lot of refugees held captive there in concentration camps. He thought you were there.."_   
  
_You looked down upon hearing that, did he join the war to only find you? Was Polaris the one who have captured you? Now that you think more on it, you didn't think that that super power would've captured you, the men that took you away looked nothing like penguins or polar bears. They looked more like lizards, rats, and even a couple of bison which was really uncommon in other worlds beside Cool Ranch. You were led to believe that pirates were the ones who took you away, displaying the reason for Kane to hate the pirate kind so much._   
  
_"I did meet him once..."_   
  
_You snapped out of your thoughts and looked back up at her, she continued._   
  
_"The first time I met Kane was on the battlefield. Me and a few other captains and generals all tried to take that beast down, but we underestimated him. He wiped out everyone in my team, and get this, he did it all by himself! He spared me and commanded for me to use my hoodoo to find the coordinates to where you were being held captured. I was able to find where you were, but I was scared on why this Commander needed you so badly, I predicted it wasn't going to be anything good. So, I lied. I thought he was going to the location himself, but he only ordered his pansy's to do the bidding, right then and there I thought I would be dead when they come back empty handed. But, luck saved me as I heard that once they arrived there, it was overrun with Polaris soldiers. The chase continued. While spending my time there, I learned more about this entity. Probably things you already knew, but I did hear that he used to have a heart, who knows what happened to it."_

_"Wait, what happened to his heart?"_   
  
_"Apparently he got rid of it, I don't know where it lies now, I just hope it isn't in the wrong hands."_

_ You took a while processing the information you were given, now you know a little bit on why and how he got his place as Supreme Commander of a powerful military. But, it still all confused you on his intention of doing so.. You knew getting that title didn't mean he got it just to find you, there must've something more to it. You pondered before your thinking was interrupted by one of the Ancient Witchdoctor's hand raised and pointed down a dark hallway. _

_"You should be tired my dear, after all, it must've been a long day for you. Brutus will show you where your resting quarters will be."_   
  
_She gestured to a rather big and bulky man, he looked down at you with such a glare, you turned into gloop underneath his gaze. You then noticed that Able was trying to walk this whole time, you turned to where he was, he was bent over on a chair and tried to steady himself. You giggled to yourself as you stood up and followed the tribal man who was leading you down the hall. Noticing you leaving without him, Able tried to pick up the pace so he could catch up to you. He tripped multiple times and stepped over his own feet, but he was able to get back up and continue to follow you, like a little duckling following his mother. The tribal man gestured to a cozy little room that only had a bed, wardrobe, and a closet filled with clothes, blankets, and pillows. You went inside the room and looked around, the creases of the walls were lining with bamboo sticks, the walls were a mustard yellow color and the floor was carpeted with brown fluff. You plopped yourself on the bed and cuddled the pillow that felt like the clouds from Heaven. Your son came stumbling in after you, he went face first into a wall before looking at you. You giggled at his klutz self but you also got up and checked his face, making sure there wasn't any major cracks on his face. _   
  
_"Hey buddy," Knowing full well that he didn't quite hear you. "How is life so far?"_   
  
_He looked up at you and tilted his head to the side slightly with genuine interest as he steadied himself by grabbing your shoulders._   
  
_ God, he looks so much like Kane... _   
  
_"M-mom.." He started. "W-what happened....?"_

_~~~~  
  
_You opened up your eyes when you heard the shift and grind of gears, you looked over at Able who was sitting up and is looking at you. You smiled at him and cupped his face while giving him a little kiss on the nose. His fingers shot up to touch his nose, his fingertips brushed over the part where you kissed, his head tilted to the side again like the curious puppy he always was. Like _him_..

"What... did you just do?"  
  
"It's called a kiss," You stated while giggling. "it's a sign of love and affection, basically I am showing you that I love you."   
  
"What is that? 'Love and affection'?"  
  
"You'll learn later, my son."  
  
He made a pout like noise as he let go of you, almost tripping in the process as he limped over to the door and pushed it open. You followed him out the door, picking him up whenever he tripped which was always, he still needs time getting used to his body since he wasn't made with knowing that already. Kane already knew the basics of moving from his Golden mind and heart.. Now you wonder about the heart.. Where did it go? Did it break? And what were the effects that took place on him once the Heart left his body? It was probably painful to begin with.. You sighed as you pressed on down the hall, trailing after your son.   
  
"My dear, aren't you up sooner than expected."  
  
A weary voice called out to you, in the darkness of the hallway, you felt her presence stir up the silence that built up. You turned around to face her, a smile still plastered on your face.  
  
"Good morning, Ancient Witchdoctor! How was-"  
  
"I know you just got here but word has spread and the spirits called to me, they are only a couple miles away from us, you need to go."  
  
Your feet glued to the ground upon the news, you already knew who they were. You thought about the chase last night, how they saw your face, and how close they are now. You filed all of your decisions, counted all your reasons, and made peace with your troubled thoughts that bubbled and boiled in your head. Your mouth would grow dry each "bad" decision you would make and your heart would flutter each "good" decision. But, each choice always goes back to the image of Kane. You will see him no matter what choice you make, you will get captured and who knows what else. You miss him, you really do, but the risk and possibilities are limitless and unpredictable. You breathed in and slowly breathed out before looking at her, your mind set, ever since thinking about the choice you made last night. Just to end this conflict, just to stop the throbbing headache of thoughts and worries, just to end the sadness that dwelled in your heart...  
  
"No, I'll turn myself in. It'll make things much easier for you, for me, for everyone here. But, please, promise me something. Please take good care of Able, I'm afraid of taking him with me if any danger comes to him. Please, raise him better than I ever could."  
  
The Witchdoctor just stood there for a second, like she was examining your expression and inner thoughts. Her head then dipped low as a shaky and quiet chuckle came out of her. You looked behind you towards Able who was trying to get the guards attention and messing around with the other kids that lived here.   
  
"He is in good hands..."  
  
\----------------------------------------------

"Please my king! I have been scammed! My business is bankrupt! I need revenge!"  
  
"I understand that the pirate problem is currently growing, we are still trying to find the source, patience is our only best solution for now.. If you have a guess with evidence on where the source could be, then please report to our War Marshal."  
  
"Why can't I just report to the Commander himself? Seeing that he is here beside you.."  
  
Kane snapped out of his thoughts that seemed to cloud his abyss like eyes, his left hand was resting on his chin while the other was holding up the other arm. He looked over at the distressed unicorn in the middle of the throne room, why must he disrupt him now? As much to his dislike, Kane was forced to attend meeting hours when the King and Queen talk to their upset people. Each had a more boring story than the other, almost the fact that they all talked about the same thing over and over again. It makes him wonder how the King and Queen withstand this nonsense and continue on with their day with such pleasant ease. Oh how he wanted to be finally rid of the annoyance of this higher class, the many imperfections these creatures had to offer, it sickens him for one to get close to him. Their breaths were disgusting to hear, their voices were even more annoying to listen to every day, just hearing their emotions and watching them breakdown was already a imperfect trait. What a migraine…. But, for now he'll just have to wait a little while longer, no matter how much it dwindles his patience on these creatures.  
  
"I have other matters to attend to,_** sir**_. Like your highness's explained, report to General Rooke if you have any clue on finding this _'problem'_."

The unicorn huffed before looking at the King and Queen one more time before taking his leave, finally, the screaming spoiled baby is leaving. Kane rubbed his temples as he tried to go back on his train of thought as more people came into the room. _Pirates, pirates, pirates... _That's all they talked about. The criminal rate for pirates grew higher and higher, the amount of pirates doubled years after the war. The gears in his chest would always grind loudly together by just a single thought about these filthy pirates, such disgusting pigs that littered the Spiral with their presence. He wanted a genocide over these...things. Then he heard footsteps coming from behind him, knowing full well on who it is, he stayed in the same position and awaited for the report. Once they stopped close enough behind him, Kane leaned down to the side to hear him much better without looking at him.   
  
"What is there to say, Phule?"  
  
"You know, a report. We got word from the Witchdoctor territory, Deacon has seized the target."  
  
Kane almost shook from the news.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
**_"They finally have her, father"_**


	7. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I wish I could rewind time, and say something different in that moment.
> 
> -Unknown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> |~Rewind~|

_You looked out over the ocean, admiring it's beauty as the sun's reflection was seen and the light bounced across the horizon. Your eyes hung bags under them as your irises seem pale and has lost its usual bright color, the image of the sea burned into them. Your muscles have swollen like a statue as you were kept there as your bones were frozen in place. Your head was blank as tons of worries flashed over your faint vision, something else that you saw besides the sea and the burning vision of the sun. Your stomach growled like a bear's snore, your heart pumping at its slowest yet as a great big weight weighs down your heart. It kept you sitting there for hours on end, no sense of time or feelings around you. Even the voices turned faint and unaudiable, not like you really cared for them in the first place. The ants that shuffled down below you in faint blurs in the wind as the laughs and talking they made was like a white noise that would never leave your head. You wanted to cover your ears but your hands were frozen in place, they were placed underneath your chin, keeping you upright. Your facial expression even didn't show any sign of changing as your lips were curled down and your eyes a bit droopy from the restlessness. You could hear the creaks and groans the castle made, making the feeling that the house was alive, that it seemed it was whispering to you now that you're doing nothing and listening carefully. _   
  
_This was the third time Kane was gone.._   
  
_You are older now and you should've gotten used to it but it leaves a scar on your heart._

_All muscles in your arm collapsed as it fell down and your head came down with it, your tired eyes are now looking at the music box that sat still on your table next to your bed. The shine that bounced off it landed on your eye, you flinched only a little as you got used to looking at the light. Then your eyelids had the advantage to close on you suddenly as you drifted off to rest, your breathing quickened only a little as you wrapped your arms underneath your head as a good flesh pillow, you were finally back into the void you missed for a while now. But now, there is an echo in your dome, words that keep whispering back and forth about the same sentence over and over again. The more you tried to chase it, to listen to it, it gave you remembrance of a special someone you hold dear. You twist and turned as you keep on running in the void, to find the source of the voice and why they are chanting it loudly. Is this a Witchdoctor chant? Something that you just can't understand yet? The voice kept on getting clearer and clearer as you ran ever so closer, closer, and closer.._   
  
_ "I love you." _   
  
_Your eyes shot open as you jumped backwards, you hit your head against the bedpost as you screamed a little from pain and your hands grabbed the back of your head. You sighed loudly as you groaned loudly too, you opened your eyes to look at your creamy colored ceiling, you used your arms to lift yourself up. You looked at your own tired body and at the window, dark was swallowing up the sky as the sun was slowly drowning in the ocean. You felt so tired as you rubbed your eyes and tried to stand up, you felt really thirsty as you scratched underneath your rib cage. You hobbled a little as you trudged over to the door, your hand shook as it slowly went up to the knob and weakly turned it to the right. Before you left the room, you stretched as you could hear your bones pop and muscles loosen. You felt much better and refreshed as you yawned and continued out the door and down the hall. The pictures seemed to move in the corner of your eyes as the ground shifted below you, must be a simple headrush and nothing more. You nearly tripped over the carpet wrinkles and toppled over your own feet as you were determined on getting something to drink before heading to bed. You went down the stairs and rounded to your left in the lobby of the front entrance, you were greeted to another hallway that was as lengthy as the hallway between your room and the lobby. Which was very long on your behalf. Then light pierced your vision as you tried to shield your eyes with your arm from the deadly ray of fire, you squinted through the pain to see what was on the other side._   
  
_"Why won't you work? I did so much and just to find out it's a complete failure?!"_   
  
_There was a loud swip as you heard metal clash with the hard tiles of the ground, and might even shatter a few things upon contact. You hesitated before going towards the door and peeking through, you froze in your place as you saw abyss like eyes staring back at you. There was a body on the table, but seems the legs weren't made yet or parts of the head and body. It's face seemed deformed to you as it had a very long nose like a fairy tale creature and his mask was joyous and calm from the look of things, well half of it in reality. You then peeled your eyes away from the body and looked around the room before settling your eyes on the man at the desk, he was writing down something with such fury that you could feel it from the door._   
  
_"Calm down, Gazpaccio. Calm down.." Gaz took a deep breath before looking down at the papers. "Kane is right about me.. But I will find every way to prove him wrong!"_   
  
_His bitter determination reeked out into the hallway, you could smell it from a mile away and it was like a sour note playing into your ear. You shook your head back into reality before looking back at him with open eyes and deadly curiosity. Gaz scratched his head as he mumbled a few things that you couldn't hear from where you were standing. He then raised one of his fingers into the air as if he just had a bright idea._   
  
_"The store down Roseberry Street, that store will give me the pieces I need to complete them."_   
  
_He got up excitedly as he went towards his door you were hiding behind, with a soft eep, you scrambled to get behind the table next to the door. You sucked in your gut as you watched him close and lock the door before walking off, whistling a tune to himself quite happily. You sat there, watching him leave while holding in the unsteady breath that was clogged into your throat. When he was gone, you let go that breath of relief as you looked at the door, you huffed in frustration as you looked around for a vase with a woman holding a basket of fruits. Once you found it with the key sitting inside, which was underneath the table further down the hall, you went back towards the door and gently pushed the key into the hole that kept you from the secrets that lie on the other side. You knew Gaz was up to something but what you saw a minute ago was no "small project". He always told you it was a huge waste of your time to watch him work and know what he was making. He tries to find every excuse to shoo you out of his sight as he continues building robotic limbs that twitched every 20 seconds or more. You always wondered the purpose on why he was doing this, is it to replace Kane? Is it suppose to make up their relationship on making something for Kane to call family? Wouldn't that be nice though? Gaz sure plans on bringing these things to life one day and you couldn't wait to meet them, you hoped they were nice beings and would love their family with all their hearts. You hoped they would love you too and want to play with you, spend time with you, and simply just talk to each other like you and Kane do most of the days you two are together. You always had thoughts on what this robot would be and what good intentions they'll have in store. You turned the key to the side and slowly pushed the door open as you look inside once more, it was dark of course but you could see the body on the counter again, still sitting there lifeless as ever. You took one step in, scratching was heard as you whipped your head to the side to find the source. There on the ground, you saw a robotic hand moving, on its own. It was using it's fingers to move around and climb up and onto the desk, it then slowly turned to you, acknowledging your existence. You screamed as you rushed out and slammed the door shut, you wheezed from your fear building up. Your chest suddenly felt heavy as you couldn't stop your heart from beating really fast and a cold feeling that latched onto it. You then rushed down the hall so you could get away from that room, you don't want that hand to suddenly know how to open doors and come out of there. Not only that but it's probably malfunctioning so it will probably choke you to death, you'd rather be safe than sorry. _   
  
_"Your highness, I have news to bring."_   
  
_You were breathless as you bent over, placed your hands on your knees as you went to a full stop, panting hard as you looked up at the guard that stood before you. You then straightened your posture as you looked up at the guard, wiping away the sweat that dripped down your forehead. _   
  
_"Y-yes?"_   
  
_ "Kane is finally here." _   
  
_\---------_   
  
_Kane was helping unload the ship once it was stationed in the docks, Valencia was much more difficult with him this time. He was told by the King that it was a better choice for him to come live in Valencia, knowing how powerful he really is. The King pouted whenever Kane would push down the offer and get into a little bit of heated arguments on why not. What a child.... He doesn't even know that it would kill him if he left his little flower alone and joined these brats, it would hurt him so much. He wouldn't even forgive himself to just tell you it was an option for him, he doesn't want to see you so sad again. When the argument was over, the King would sit on his throne, pouting a lot and tries to guilt trip a robot that would care less for his feelings. Notably, the King is just a child and the real one is trying to train his son to not be a pathetic whelp, that is a wish that will take longer than expected. But, he always wondered what they were talking about when Casimir decided not to throw a fit. 'Polaris is growing restless'? He has heard of the recent activities with Polaris, first the Penguin Treaty that was passed there and most importantly, Nepoleguin's power is growing. Despite his size, he is a really intelligent war genius, he survived the Skull Island war years ago when the 'pirates' decided to attack the Polarians for dominance and power. But, he wasn't even the commander of the army then, he was only an innocent. A carpenter that was only trying to get by and survive that bloody war that he didn't even fight in. If only he could meet Nepoleguin himself, he would find out right there what that small penguin's intentions are at heart. He heaved a heavy puff of steam as he put down the heaviest crate the ship had to offer, well it wasn't that heavy for him since he's carried much more heavier elements and solids. His crewmates couldn't help but look at him with awe as they stopped whatever they were doing to look at him work, they were fascinated that a small machine man such as Kane would be able to carry 10 pounds of heavy lumber. And what they have seen in the skyway took the cake._   
  
_ The crew and their captain were on the ship, heading back to their home world, the elegant Cuspary. The only skyway that was available to them that wasn't too dangerous to cross was the Terpian Skyway, rumored to be the only skyway that had access to the same currents that wash up to El Dorado's shores. If only they knew that those rumors are true... The captain's grip on the wheel was tighter than it was before, sweat dripped down his face as his eyes darted from side to side. His posture was wobbly as his muscles tightened from the fear that laced them, his eyes bloodshot as the back of his throat became clammy and dry. The ship refused to move as it's boards creaked and groaned of the sudden pressure of something coming inside, just squeezing itself through the little gaps that were given. The crew wasn't really much in a panic as their eyes locked onto the deck of the ship, their weapons were close to their chest as they formed a circle in the middle of the deck. The slithering and the growls underneath the thick floorboards only made the crew much more tense as their eyes never left the ground. The captain jumped when a sturdy and rough hand landed on his shoulder, he turned around frantically only to calm upon seeing Kane's confused expression. The captain pointed below to the deck, before Kane said anything he placed one of his fingers over his mouth, giving Kane the message to remain quiet. His dark eyes scanned the deck and listened closely to the sounds that surfaced from underneath, he quickly thought of a plan in his head as he continued to watch what was happening.  _   
  
_ "What are they?" The captain softly spoke as he tilted his head to the side and his eyes widened as the slithers grew closer. _   
  
_ "Sky Snakes from the sound of them, we were sailing too close to their nests, they reacted as any other angry protective parent would."  
  
He moved his body so he was facing towards the stairs that lead to the deck, he slowly went towards it, careful on not stepping on any creaks in the wood. He stopped when he was at the last step to the deck, he studied to floor one more time before making his decision to jump down. The soft thud echoed and the sounds from underneath went silent. All of his shipmates looked at him with such hatred, dread, and confusion. He didn't seem to mind as the floor shivered a little bit before pythons surfaced, their feathers glistening in the starry sky and their scales all mattered down and spiky. Their hisses filled the silence as they tried to wrap their slimy bodies around all of the crewmates. They all cried for help and some even tried to fight them with swords and guns, all of these efforts and it was wasted from the armored shell of the creatures. Kane only held his posture as he watched the movements of the snakes, how they curled up around their captured victims and the flinches they made when they were hit. These were noticeable, showing themselves towards Kane on what really makes them terrified, sadly he'll only have to sacrifice one.  _   
  
_ "What were you thinking?! We're gonna be killed because of you!!!" The captain screamed as one of the snakes opened its mouth wide to swallow him whole. _   
  
_ He closed his eyes shut, awaiting death as he clenched his teeth and let go of his tears. But, the rush of pain never came. He opened his eyes a little only to see the snake's mouth still open but a sword was in between of it's two jaws, holding it in place, afraid it'll cut open it's own face. He shakenly looked to the side to see Kane holding onto the sword, he then twisted the sword to make it go down and the snake obeyed and followed it, only for its body to entangle around the captain. He got up and ran to the other side of the captain's deck, Kane then pulled the sword forward for the snake to fall to the main deck of the ship. The other threats turned their scaly heads towards their fallen companion and their twisted bodies curled up tightly as they hissed at Kane, their new target. Kane jumped down from the captain's deck and got into his fencing position and pointed his sword towards the biggest snake that was there. The others, upon instinct began to attack Kane, he was prepared for this. He dodged most of the attacks by directing the snakes off the boat while making his way towards the leader. The leader was a bit hissy as he unwrapped himself from all of the crewmates and went towards Kane himself, opening his jaw to prepare himself to grab Kane and crush him. Kane only moved out of the way and dragged his sword along the side of the snake, splitting it open. When the slicing ended at the tail, the now cut open body laid limp as it's head hits the door of the captain's den. Everyone stood frozen with shock and fear as the bloodied corpse of a Sky Snake was pushed off the ledge of the ship and into the never ending darkness in between the Spiral. The other snakes watched their leader fall so they retreated and back into their nests that they were guarding. Kane looked up at the men and carefully but slowly put his sword into its carrier and straightened his posture once more.  _   
  
_ "Shall we continue? They're gone so there is nothing to fear anymore." _   
  
_The men shivered from the memory that popped into their heads as they continued unloading the ship, the captain tried to hide his embarrassment from the ship attack and being all panicky and such. They were marveled at how skillfully and graceful Kane was with his attacks and dodges, he must've took his practices to heart and attack as elegantly as possible. Kane heaved another puff of steam as he looked at the other men to make sure he's not the only one that is working their hardest to make sure all of this cargo is off the ship. He also made sure that they were putting the crates down carefully to make sure that nothing inside breaks and becomes ruined. _   
  
_"Kane!!"_   
  
_His attention was broken when he heard a familiar voice call out to him, he actually turned to the voice really fast, it was more like a jerk of the muscles. You ran up to him and tackled him to the ground with blazing speed, you have gotten faster whenever you see him. Your small arms wrapped around his torso as your face buried into his chest, your expression was overwhelmingly bright and happy, filled with excitement. You were laughing when you felt the impact of the ground and cuddled close to Kane as he moved under you. Kane wrapped his long arms around you, engulfing you with his figure, and sat up so he wouldn't be laying down on the muddy ground the whole time. He chuckled too and held you close to him while he gave you a smooch on the top of your head. He rested his head on yours and just held you as close to him as possible, it's pretty evident at this point that you both missed each other very much. A couple guards came out trailing behind you trying to keep up, they then started helping the shipmates when they saw that you're already covered, literally. You started to cry a little while you tried to smile through the sadness that washed over both of you, the feeling both of you have been longing for each other has been restored. _   
  
_"That was t-the longest y-yet..." You hiccuped as you moved away to cup his face and put it close to yours. "Please d-don't make it l-longer, please..."_   
  
_Kane only hugged you tighter. "I can't guarantee that it'll stop getting longer but I will promise that I'll never leave you, ever."_   
  
_"E-ever?"_   
  
_ **"Ever.."** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> |~Continue~|
> 
> {Pssst, just gonna say that Flashbacks are shorter than actual chapters of the story, hope u understand}


	8. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ✋︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ♌︎♏︎♏︎■︎ ♋︎ ❖︎♏︎❒︎⍓︎ ●︎□︎■︎♑︎ ⧫︎♓︎❍︎♏︎ ⬧︎♓︎■︎♍︎♏︎ ⬥︎♏︎🕯︎❖︎♏︎ ♌︎♏︎♏︎■︎ ⧫︎□︎♑︎♏︎⧫︎♒︎♏︎❒︎ ●︎♓︎🙵♏︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎⬧︎📪︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ♎︎♏︎♋︎❒︎
> 
> ■︎□︎⬥︎📪︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ◻︎●︎♋︎■︎ ⬥︎♓︎●︎●︎ ♌︎♏︎ ♓︎■︎ ❍︎□︎⧫︎♓︎□︎■︎ ♋︎■︎♎︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎
> 
> ⬥︎♓︎●︎●︎ ■︎♏︎❖︎♏︎❒︎ ♏︎⬧︎♍︎♋︎◻︎♏︎ ♐︎❒︎□︎❍︎ ❍︎♏︎ ♋︎♑︎♋︎♓︎■︎
> 
> ♏︎❖︎♏︎❒︎

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thanks for 100+ views and all these Kudos! qwq)

The song faded away in the darkness that it thrives in, the songs presence was no longer here as it's noise barely passed the void it was heavily trapped in.  
  
The song...  
  
It was now gone, not a trace of its existence is here anymore.  
  
All that was left is complete darkness and a never ending nightmare seeming you will never wake up from, you're stuck, it's over.   
  
You reached your hand out, to grab any inch of light that decided to show itself towards you, you ever so want to embrace the darkness but you were afraid of it too. You didn't really know why, you just were. You were afraid how it would react to you, how it would use it's actions for good or for evil. Your tongue and inner cheeks were swelling from the amount of bite marks your nervousness made, your eyes that are wet with tears that never left your eyelids closed, your body frozen from the tension and silence you were suspended to. You felt so alone.. It felt like a huge boulder was resting on your chest as it got harder and harder to breathe, it takes all of your strength to keep the rock from crushing you completely. A white noise now entered your ears as you hissed from the intensity of the volume and how it scratched your brain and threatened to burst your eardrums. Then, it sounded like it was forming words. Something was calling to you but you didn't know what about as you still kept the pressure above you. Then something dropped near your head, you hesitated before looking over at the source. The song, it's right there, you could grab it with just an easy swipe from here. But, even if you move your hands a little, that intense pressure will drop down on your chest even more and it'll eventually kill you if you aren't careful. Now what? You're stuck, you can't be able to hear the song again..  
  
Able..  
  
The image of your son now appeared, the song, the music box then shaped itself into a square looking object as it glittered even though there was no light that had shown itself. It glowed too, with such a warm red that it could warm your body by just looking at it, what exactly was it? The blurred figure that looked like your son noticed the object's presence and went towards it with deadly curiosity. He knelt down to it and picked it up, he looked at it closely and not long after, he walked away with it at hand. Is this a prediction? What was this?   
  
A dog barking is what woke you up, you jumped up by the sound of it approaching you at high speeds. Your eyes frantically scanned everywhere before it was shoved into your face by a big narrow dog, his hands gripped your shoulders as he brought you forward to him, his growling was loud and deep. You gulped as his eyes stared daggers into your eyes, knowing you were in trouble for whatever reason, your head stung from the pain from the impact of the golden bars.  
  
"I remember you, scum. You stole my most prized possession, the gears with the weird markings! I was going to make a fortune out of those useless gears!"  
  
He growled as he bared his teeth, he showed all of his pearly whites and only one dazzling golden tooth, the image of these fangs digging into your flesh out of an angry fit surfaced in your mind. You gulped again as you searched his expression trying to find every reason to make up an excuse on why you did such a thing. You needed those parts more than him and you really didn't expect to see him again, especially like this where you are being transported to the Machine. You felt nervous, scared even, when they took you away. Seeing Kane both excited you, but also made you tremble in fear of the lovable clockwork you always knew, ever since you were a child you two had such an incredible and unbreakable bond. You didn't really had any idea on why you're so scared on seeing him again, you should be more happy than scared, so why are you feeling like this? You always thought deeper on the subject, you came to the conclusion that it was because he's something so powerful and feared by all because of his skills and position in the Valencian army. Supreme Commander....You always find yourself whispering that title over and over again in your head or out loud, so scary, so unpredictable coming from someone who never dared to hurt anyone unless they were badies or upon command. You remembered when he was the commanded and not the commander, he was very soft in his youth so he didn't really have that authority feel.   
  
"I-I needed it more than you! Or the person b-buying! My 'project' needed the pieces in o-order for it to work.."  
  
You almost said the last part quietly, the dog didn't seem to like your excuse and pulled you back and then slammed your head on the bars again, you hissed loudly from the impact.   
  
"Don't lie to me! Whatever this 'project' is, I would care less about it if it doesn't make me rich!"  
  
_Pirates and their gold obsession.._You tried your hardest to not sigh aloud as you rubbed the part of your forehead that is most likely bruised, hissing from the fleshy contact between your hand and the open wound.   
  
"Can you please leave me alone? The 'project' was suppose to center around life, and those markings, they could only mean that they're the very gears that made the Golden Sentinels bodies work and their Heart and Mind power. I would explain more but I don't think someone like you would understand what I'm talking about."  
  
"WHY YOU LITTLE-"  
  
He pushed you back again and was ready to hit your head against the bars once more, just harder and most likely crack your skull in the process. You closed your eyes shut ready for the force and the pain to wash all over you and most likely put into a coma which is an up for the mutt. But the intense pain never surfaced on your head, not only that but you don't feel being lifted up as you felt his grip loosen a bit on the collar of your dress. A whimper sound entered your hearing as the grip fully let go of you and you fell back into what felt like an arm wrapped around your shoulders. You peeked through the darkness of your eyelids to see the filthy mutt backing up into the wall of his cell as he was shivering looking above you so you figured it's not something you're doing. You looked above you, your eyes widened fully to see the presence of an entity you weren't really looking forward on seeing again. He cocked his gun just to give the dog warning to stay away, his arm that caught you now wrapped around your chest to keep you close to him as he slowly stood up and you followed his movements. His gun was still staring directly at the dog's head, the dog had his puppy eyes while his ears drooped past his cheeks in plain fear.  
  
"If you hurt the Steam Mistress anymore, Kane will blame me for this pain, you will cost me mutt."  
  
The dog whimpered more as he looked away, swinging his arms in front of his head and curling up into a ball. Deacon mumbled a small "Pathetic" and rests his hand at his side, he looked down at you, he looked at the bruise on your face before turning away with you at his side.  
  
"We are here, my prize. Kane urges for me to hurry, to present you finally."  
  
He said coldly to you as he pointed the gun behind his back and fired. The sound of the blood painting the wall, the sound of something crushing a watermelon, it filled in the silence and echoed in the prison cells. You could hear other prisoners scurry away from the now deceased corpse of the market tailor, the bits and chunks of his head falling to the floor. You shivered from each sound it made as you covered your mouth and slowly cried to yourself while closing your eyes shut and leaning more into Deacon's grasp in search for comfort without even realizing it. Deacon dropped his gun into his sleeve and watched it disappear while also noticing how close you were getting to him, he turned you so you were facing in front of him. You moved your fingers to look up at him and the expression he had was pretty unusual to you, he looked like he had sympathy in his eyes as one of his thumbs grazed across your cheek, wiping away the remaining tears that fell down your eyelids. You smacked his hand away as you crossed your arms and started to go up the stairs while looking down. You didn't need his pity, after all, you are pretty used to the sounds and pain of the fallen since it happened more than once in front of you. You shivered from remembering all of your people, falling into despair, complete utter darkness of sorrow and endless pain. You looked up for a second, the light blinded you as you tried to shield your eyes from the blazing sun. When your vision adjusted to the light, you could see many toy soldiers surrounding you while holding their axes out, as if guiding you back down into the prison chamber. But, once they saw Deacon go to your side, they bowed their heads and moved out of the way for you and him to pass. He once again wrapped his arm around your shoulders and directed you off of the ship.  
  
"This is Florenza, home of the King and Queen of Valencia themselves, and this place is the home of Kane himself."  
  
You looked up at him with bright eyes as you both went down the ladder that lead to the docks, just the mention of Kane made you very excited to see him once again, but it also made you very nervous as you darted your vision towards the buildings that peaked over the giant wall that kept you away from the inner city. The smell of this breeze is much more smooth and warm, which is weird considering that it's the start of Fall and it shouldn't be this warm when things should get cold. But you still got the feel of Fall as the tree's leaves here are already changing color and falling to the ground, the smell of pumpkin spice lingered near the entrance of the city, people were dressed in heavy looking coats that gives off this warm feel to it all. You basically melted from the looks of everything, your heart swelled with the many desires that you wished to explore inside this city, you were used to danish and garb back in Monquista but here is a whole new world of royalty and lovely scenery. You felt like you were losing yourself to this place when you finally entered the city, the place was heavily decorated with orange and black as pumpkins littered the areas, their carved smiles and beady triangle shaped eyes shined in the darkness that was slowly engulfing the sun.   
  
It's getting late, perhaps you'll find someone that would offer somewhere to sleep for the night. You were pulled out of your thoughts from a arm wrapping around your other arm and pulling you away from the center place of Florenza, you pouted a lot as Deacon practically dragged you away towards a building with more than three guards awaiting outside of the palace looking structure. They bowed upon seeing Deacon and opened the door for you and him, the glow of the place nearly blinded you as you covered your eyes once more and resist going blind for another day. You slowly moved your arm away from your face and scanned across the room, you saw many distressed looking unicorns and some foreign people that have come here to talk to the King and Queen, notably from Aquila and Marley Bone. You were then guided to a certain unicorn, this snob looking creature raised his hand in front of you and Deacon, he scuffed when he made eye contact with you.   
  
"The King and Queen are already occupied, disrupt them now and you will be sentenced."  
  
"I, Spymaster of the Armada, need to go inside of the Hall. I need to bring something in there that the Supreme Commander might need."  
  
The unicorn took a good look at you, up and down, and laughed it off. "You may be a part of the Armada Elites, but that small shrimp deserves no right to see their majesties or the Supreme Commander himself. What is she even for anyways?"  
  
"The more you bicker with me, the more I imagine that your head would look great on my wall."  
  
"You can't hurt me-"  
  
"Casimir gave me and the other soldiers a right to execute any unicorn that decides to stand in our way of business and you're already _**pushing it**_."  
  
That's what made the unicorn stop in his tracks as he gulped and sweated a little from the cold venom laced in Deacon's voice. You decided to add on, "Plus I met the Commander himself in his past time, me and him haven't seen each other in a very long time. Do you propose on stopping that engagement and furthermore anger the Supreme Commander?"  
  
The unicorn stuttered. "I-I, oh um...." He looked off somewhere to try recollect his thoughts, he noticed that the previous person that was talking to his majesties were leaving the room and walking out towards the exit. "Ah! You are now free to talk to the King and Queen, if you wish!"  
  
Deacon nodded towards him while he grabbed you by the hand forcibly and dragged you up the stairs. You got the feeling that he feels desperate about something but you didn't know what about as you were lead to the big door that seperated you from Kane. Just the thought of him makes your heart flutter, you could barely hold onto your excitement on finally seeing him again, you felt like you wanted to hug him after long years of not seeing each other. You held onto your heart as you felt it beat harder and harder against your ribcage as you remembered the moments you had with Kane when he was younger. It got a little harder for you to breath as your body started to heat up from the heat radiating off your heart, you closed your eyes blissfully as you took a deep breath and grabbing the handles of the door. A hand stopped you from your path.  
  
"Oh I almost forgot one thing."  
  
He turned to you and clapped iron cuffs on both of your hands and chains that connected to your feet, you felt the cold feeling of the iron cuffs on your ankles too. You looked up at him with such a sour expression as he went forward towards the door.  
  
"Why did you do this? Is is necessary?"  
  
"Simple as it is," He looked over his shoulder to look you in the eye. "'_That_' is only to convince the King and Queen that you're a prisoner so they could judge you and sentence you."  
  
You felt infuriated. "So you only sent me here just for me to go to prison?! What is wrong-"  
  
"You will only be closer to Kane that way, no one knows who you truly are so you wouldn't get rejected by this society."  
  
He cutted you off as he finally opened the doors, your eyes scanned his figure, hoping you heard him right as he turned back towards you.  
  
"One more thing," He tugged on the chain for you to come forward, you did as the chains were told and fell into his arms while making a loud eep. "You have to look defeated and no matter what you do, _don't make eye contact with Kane_."  
  
You gulped as he pushed you away, only to pull you forward again, you already started to look down and sigh while pulling the most depressed look you could muster. You were pulled forward again and you almost fell flat on your face, you growled in annoyance as you still kept calm and kept your defenseless stance. The spokesperson looked at both of you then directed his attention over at the two horses.  
  
"I may now present to the highnesses and the Commander himself, Spymaster Deacon."  
  
Both of the king and queen looked intently over at Deacon who bowed in their direction.  
  
"Your highnesses, I have come from a far away place, with one of the main targets of the Resistance. How may she be judged?"  
  
You continued to look down and kept your facial expression as sad and depressed as possible, you even kept a steady pace of sighing, more representing the defeat and disappointment. It seems to be working smoothly. You kept your eyes fixated on the ground as the voices of Deacon and the highnesses blurred out of your hearing, you somehow grew sleepy as you continued to look at the checkered floor of the palace Hall. You ever so resisted the urge to look up, you knew that **_he _**was staring at you, you could feel the burning feeling of someone staring holes into you. You even shook a little from the tension that filled the room, the silence is louder now as you told your mind that it wouldn't be the best decision to look up. Even so, why? Why would Deacon tell you not to look at Kane? It makes no sense to you at all so your heart made the decision this time. You slowly lifted your head up, your vision dragging across the floor and up towards where the thrones were.   
  
Abyss, darkness, emptiness..  
  
That's what the only thing that filled his once warm gaze now, those once comforting and foresighted sight, was replaced with a cold shiver that would never go away. Your prediction was right, he was staring right through you as all of his body movements seized as if afraid to move any further, he'll lose sight of you. He was so quiet, so mysterious, and you could clearly see the upgrade that happened over time to him. His clothes are much more different now, black and gold instead of his past's much more lighter colors and variety. His posture was no longer lazy or a forced stance whenever someone of higher power walks by, he now looked authoritative and in power this time and it only made you even more nervous on what he has in store for you this time. You could feel another set of eyes burrow it's way into your skin, you could only tell that they were Deacons as you turned towards the king and queen, they looked to be pondering something. The queen leaned over to her husband and whispered something into his ear, they then turned to you. The king cleared his throat as he began speaking, his voice was so annoying to hear as you suppressed the urge to cover your ears from his nonsense.  
  
"Very well, we shall sentence this fugitive to 20 years working-"  
  
"_**For me**_."  
  
Kane interrupted as he stepped forward a little, Casimir looked over at Kane and raised a brow at his direction.   
  
"She will be working under my rule, I'll give her the punishment she deserves through labor."   
  
The king could only nod as he looked back down at you.  
  
"Very well then, you shall escort her to the Machine where she will work under Kane's rule. That will be her sentence, nothing more, nothing less."  
  
You turned your head to the side to look at Deacon, he clearly looked frustrated and a little, jealous...? Deacon then basically dragged you away when you were about to turn to look at Kane again, you yelped a little as you tried to match his pace. He basically threw you out into the lobby, you tumbled over some loose rug and went face first into the ground, the unicorns around you laughed and snickered at you as you turned your body over to look at him. You death glared him as he walked passed you, not even offering to help you up so you got up yourself and somewhat ran over to him while almost tripping over the chains.  
  
"What was that?! I couldn't help but look up at him!"  
  
The chains were getting caught on the rug and candle stands making you trip over yourself a lot, you then did fall to the ground with a loud thud, you grumbled to yourself as you just sat there and hissed loudly from the carpet burn. You then heard someone walking up to you, you lifted your head slightly so you can see who it was, in an instant you heard the soft clicks and clumps of the cuffs unlocking and falling off your wrists and heels. You rubbed your right wrist as you slowly stood up to look at Deacon, you looked away before looking back at him and walked out the door before him. You stomped your foot when you reached out side and stood your ground when Deacon came trailing behind you. You had realized that it was late at night as the sky was now pitch black, white dots peppered the skies as the street lights were shining bright onto the noir coated street. You found yourself wandering off, completely captured by the beauty of it all, the many shops and parlors had many things out for grabs that you drifted off towards them. That is until you were roughly pulled back by the collar of your dress by the fun killer known as Deacon, he dragged you back to the gates of the Florenza and out to the ship, you growled at him and kicked your feet a little like an upset child. Deacon only growled back as he pulled you up onto the ship and threw you aside as he stomped up the steps to the captain's deck, you hit your head on the wooden floor, you hissed as you glared up at Deacon as you sat up and crossed your arms. Jeez, what was his problem? You started to pout as you watched the soldiers do their work and set up guard, you felt the ship beneath you sway and released itself from the docks, it changed direction and headed towards the Machine that wasn't that far away.   
  
The sudden sound of thunder drew your attention to the giant behemoth that loomed over the ship you were on, you could now hear the groans and moans of the Machine, the clanks of gears grinding against other metal. You couldn't help but be at awe at the whole entire thing, who built this? And how were they able to get it to stay in the air? Then the ship suddenly stopped, it parked at the docks as you felt the ship be put to rest. You let out a shaky breath as you joined the guards on getting off the ship, you didn't have a second thought on leaving Deacon behind since he was really being an ass at the moment. None of the soldiers stopped you either so you were good either way, free to roam at this point. You stopped when you were at the entrance of the Machine, the gears that showed themselves out of the giant thing had weird markings imprinted onto them, the same markings that were on the gears that made up Able. You had no idea what the language is but you were determined to find out soon! But, it felt recognizable at the same time, like it's your native language..  
  
You headed inside as you watched groups of soldiers enter and leave the Machine, none seemed to acknowledge your presence as you passed through them, not without getting bumped into a lot. Even on the inside, it never failed to amaze you at it's beauty as it shined down at you. There was gears littered everywhere, on the walls, the ceiling, the floor, you name it. For the finishing touches, it was lined with a beautiful gold color and in between the gears, a warm blue light shined through. A elevator sat comfortably in between the whole entire thing as you could also see electricity shocking everything upon sight. You also saw the soldiers picking up crates and moving them around, even some working on the Machine's inner walls themselves. You smiled at whoever decided to look over at you and continued down the pathway that lead to the elevator that seemed to be calling for you.   
  
"_**[y/n].**_."  
  
You jumped as a shiver skyrocketed up your spine, that voice...  
  
"_**For so long...**_"  
  
Before he finished his sentence, you heard the heavy footsteps of someone running towards you, he was cutting very close to you already as you shook just standing there. Closing your eyes, you turned around and braced yourself. You felt a soft but hard grip on both of your shoulders as he pulled you closer to him, you opened your eyes only to see his face very close to yours.  
  
"_**....I've missed you.**_"  
  
_Then he-!_


	9. //Quick A/N!!

//Hey it's me DJ! I'm so sorry for my inactivity, I've entered a lot of new fandoms and I've found myself stuck in them, but continuing this story has always been on my mind-

Not only that but school is upon me and it's really dragging my motivating juices-

Just know that I am still here and yet again, I am so sorry! ; 0 ;

I didn't mean to leave you guys hanging like that, but don't worry! I will finish this story! It's not the end yet! I have a lot to get down to!

I've also been developing the fan species in this series, the Cusparians, basically the race that 'you' are a part of

More about the details of that will appear later in the story!

I will make sure to get a new chapter rolling soon! .....Once I get all my homework done! 

Hopefully I didn't bum you guys into thinking I was gone forever ; 0 ;

See you guys soon! <3


	10. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 💧︎⧫︎♋︎❒︎⬧︎ ♐︎♋︎♎︎♏︎📪︎ ♍︎●︎□︎◆︎♎︎⬧︎ ❒︎□︎●︎●︎📪︎ ♏︎❖︎♏︎❒︎⍓︎⧫︎♒︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♌︎♏︎♑︎♓︎■︎⬧︎ ⬥︎♓︎⧫︎♒︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ⬧︎□︎■︎♑︎ □︎♐︎ ⧫︎♒︎◆︎■︎♎︎♏︎❒︎ 
> 
> \-----------------------
> 
> //LETS GOOOO  
Also, I'm sorry if the chapter sounds different, I just hope I didn't lose my touch qwq  
I'm also sorry if it is a short one-

**_-A few weeks later-_**  
  
The sick sour taste was still resting in the back of your throat, causing you to wheeze and cough at the heat that cloaked your body

How many hours aged you? How long were you stuck in this never ending maze of feverish sight?

_How long was it since you had your freedom?_  
  
...  
  
You shouldn't mind that right now, after all, you still have work that needs to be done. And as if the soldiers could read your mind, an end of a rifle poked at your frail body, most likely expecting for you to move. You open your eyes to see a small group of Armada soldiers looming over you, all with cocked heads and a looming stance over you, all you could do was sigh. At least their shadows were blocking the sun from hitting you. In a flash, they grabbed you by the arms and pulled you up, it was so quick in fact that your head snapped back and the muscles at the back of your neck began to sore making you whine and hiss in pain.  
  
"I'm up, I'm up!"  
  
You managed to say in a groan as the soldiers then let go of you, all their void eyes were staring at you as they watched your every movement as if they think that you were about to run away. But all you did was stretch. Ah, the sweet popping of your bones going back into place was very satisfying to hear, what wasn't satisfying though was all the burning gazes going through you. Not only that but the uncomfortable heat that covered Valencia, what happened to the clouds? Did they just vanish just for you to work in the burning heat? You sighed as your knees began to quiver when you took your first step, you weren't able to make it to one of the crates without tripping and landing on it. You slowly and gently wrapped your hands around the crate and then weakly picked it up, you held it over your head, it's crushing weight putting pressure on your neck and heart along with your lungs. You only walked five more steps to the right before tripping and face planting into the ground with the crate coming with you, you sighed and slowly got up while also dusting off the pants and shirt you were given. Then in another flash, the soldiers grabbed you by the arms once more and dragged you off, possibly directing you to work somewhere else. You were then put in an elevator and taken up towards the top, the shine from the power stirring inside the machine was enough to blind you, closing your eyes was useless as the shine remained. You were then cloaked by darkness behind your eyelids which made you brave enough to open your eyes finally. The soldiers took you up another flight of stairs before you made it to the control room, there was also a slim figure in front of you who was pressing on one of the main control panels. You were finally let go as you came toppling to the ground, grunting you got up and looked around just to get your bearings before walking up to the creature before you.  
  
"[y/n], was it? Interesting for them to bring you up here."  
  
The sound of this strangers voice made you jump a little, it was sure creepy and unsettling, you could also feel the bloodlust behind the voice. You only cleared your throat as you looked down at the ground.  
  
"I'm not too sure why they brought me here as well... Also, how did you know my name-?"  
  
"I assume that they thought that I need your help, hmmmmm.. I suppose I do.. See that crate of gears?"  
  
He cut you off from your sentence and then pointed his boney hand at a wide open crate filled with small clockwork parts and he then proceeded to continue working on one of the panels, not even looking at you the entire interaction.  
  
"Yeah I see them, what do I need to do?"  
  
"Well I need them and if you know your gears, I'm assuming you do, you would give me the one I ask of you."  
  
He sounded very irritated as he had to pause what he was doing to explain to you, you scoffed yourself and then went over to the crate to haul the thing over and to have your hands in elbow deep to look around at the gears that were available to you. He then started naming which gears he wanted, you looked in the clutter and grew confused on why he would need gears like this but every gear you gave him was never the wrong design or size. Looks like grandfathers lessons paid off after all. You remember your grandfather teaching you the different kinds of cogs and screws and which to use to make something work without failure. You wonder if your grandpa is still alive...

Your free hand managed to go up to your lips and slowly dragged themselves across them, the feeling was still present there, the feeling of the others lips pressed against yours. You felt the blood rush to your face as a faint pink appeared between your eyes and under them, the reunion with Kane certainly shocked you. You didn't expect him to really...

Distracted, you managed to cut yourself on the fine edge of a gear, you hissed and waved your finger. The blood dripped onto the cogs, each started to shine a beautiful gold color and markings that were never there before started to show. Then they started to float and lift themselves out of the box, spinning at each jerk they made and they seem to generate small golden lightning strikes at each other as they fly in the air. You fell back as you slowly backed away from the gears, your blood yet again smearing the floor to which the machine roared to life. The sudden commotion tore the attention away from the other clockwork as he looked around, shocked at the machine suddenly shaking. Your blood woven itself into the cracks of the machine floor and it glowed a soft red mixed with a bright gold, the huge machine seemed to have shifted and moved by itself. Sudden crashes and booms erupted after as you covered your face and head, preparing for any impact that the machine's parts would hit you with, you felt the whole terrain move underneath your body. But you closed your eyes through it all, the swift wind of the cogs was almost enough to blow you away, the pistons of the machine sounded like they were moving at impossible speed.

The creaks the groans, the roar of life, it amazed you yet frightened you of the sound.

Then, the sounds soon died out in a second.

Your arms were shaking by the time you opened them in order to look around, you didn't notice before when the Machine was moving, that your whole body was shaking and toppled over. You got up with a little bit of weariness but you managed to stand still as you looked around, the Machine still glowed a soft red, but now there were marking imprints on all of the gears. Each of them glowing a beautiful shade of gold, it was beginning to look a little more brighter in the dull Machine. And.....wait....were those gears in that position before?

"How..? What...?"

The same creepy voice pulled you away from your thoughts as you turned around, the slim creature wore a white mask with a beak, accompanied with goggles in place of his beady eyes. He wore a nice red hat with a rim that is as long as a sunhat, he also wore a red and gold robe with a hint of black underneath said robe. You only shivered a little from his appearance, but you then stood back your stance and answered to the shocked silence. 

"I-I have no idea what happened...I c-cut my finger...The cogs...the M-Machine..."

You were at a loss of words, _what happened indeed? _You fell back to your knees, trying to make sense of it all as you looked helplessly around the whole place, your eyes already growing tired from the amount of stress that your thoughts gave you. You heard light footsteps coming towards you as you backed away a little and turned towards the other clockwork, his head cocked to the side as his fingers made a jittery motion as they tapped together.

"Interesting....Very interesting....Are you..'the key'..?"

You shivered at the tone of his voice, he sounded even more creepier and dark as he drew a hand closer to your cheek, you flinched away as you closed your eyes. What was this thing going to do to you? Who was he? Is he going to hurt you? You clenched your teeth together as you broke out in cold sweat, feared of the thoughts about what he was going to do to you. 

"**_Bishop, what happened?_**"

The sudden cold voice that entered your hearing made you jolt and stand up, your fists were shaking as you gulped your fear down, still your eyes closed shut and you didn't plan on opening your eyes. You already know who it was but you couldn't help but shake at his tone. 

"I was fixing the north control panel, then the whole Machine shook underneath my feet without my control, I suspect that our prisoner has done something.."

You felt a heated gaze then land on you, again you shivered with fear as you were then brave enough to look up at him, Kane. You felt your eyes well up, you felt it getting sore as you tried to fight back a cry of fear. You really screwed up this time, why did you have to daydream? You bowed your head a little, giving him the respect he deserves before stuttering out your perspective on what happened.  
  
"I cut my f-finger, I guess it entered the Machines systems and then it went havoc!"  
  
The more you thought about your statement, the more it sounded dumb. Probably dumb to everyone else but you and Kane, you could tell from the maniac like giggle that erupted from the one named 'Bishop's throat. You sighed in hopelessness, you stood back up straight and looked down at the ground in shame, if only you were a bit more careful...

".....Whatever it was, look around you, everything changed."

You looked all over the place yourself, he was right, the place was much brighter and more spacey. It felt like it grew a layer on top of the other, now lining with new gears and they seemed to have twist and churn a lot faster than they previously went. The groans and moans of the cogs were much louder, like it's a living breathing being, and they sounded more hollow as well. A mechanical hum erupted from the other clockworks throat as he looked around as well, clearly interested at the new terrain that built onto itself. 

"Bishop, go and start heading over to Beachhead, there is more completion that needs to be done."

Doing as Kane commanded, he nodded towards the other and began to walk off down the stairs, but he didn't do that without looking over his shoulder back you. There was a malicious glint in his eyes, the bloodlust in his stare was starting to scare you even more. You then looked back at the ground, only now realizing that you are alone with Kane once more, you felt like you needed to say something, anything!  
  
"I-I'm sorry..."

"Don't mind that now, where did you get hurt?"

He shocked you, from all that cold and rough appearance, he asks if you are alright with a sort of worried tone? Wasn't he this mean Supreme Commander? Or are you dreaming again? You gulped a little before looking around the room, eyes darting towards any small bit of detail before lifting up your arm. Showing the hand to where you were cut on, almost flinching away from him as he carefully grabbed onto your hand. You felt a little calmer, feeling his thumbs brush against your scar felt more satisfying than harmful, you felt like you wanted to melt into him already. It seems he's still ever so gentle when petting your skin, as if he is afraid to make you bleed even more, was it true that he threw away his heart? Couldn't be possible, he's caring for you again and feeling your touch, but yet again you don't really know what is the truth. You supposed that you will just have to find out the truth by yourself, but that didn't stop you on considering what everyone else said. Out of curiosity and longing for his touch again, you moved forward, now inches away from his face and his chest. Looking forward towards his chest, you tried thinking and finding out the truth by yourself, you do notice that there was no loud heartbeat. In fact, there was no heartbeat at all, or even a soft glow of red that his heart always emitted. That soft red wasn't there anymore, was what the Witchdoctor said in her story true? Did he really threw it away? Before you opened your mouth to speak, he spoke first. 

"_Mon bien-aimé, _I have something I want to show you."

He then turned around while also still having a firm grip on your hand as he dragged you along, you were worried a little but you hurried along by his side.

What does he want to show you?

\---------------

"She's.....gone...?"

"I couldn't stop her, she accepted her fate."

The small monkey's axe dropped to the ground as he fell to his knees, it felt like the whole world was now falling apart right before his eyes, _of course she would turn herself in to sacrifice herself for the safety of others_. Tears flowed out of his eyes as he slowly broke down on the old birchwood floor, whose cracks sucked in all of those salty tears, years of age and years of tears went through these floors. The old Witchdoctor watched the monkey as he pathetically smashed his fists against the ground as he screamed in rage and fear, all she could do was to pat his head. 

"But there is still a chance that you will be able to save her from his clutches. But you will need help."

From the sound of that, Guiart whipped the tears away and stood up straight, the wrath in his eyes was even more terrifying than the stormgate to El Dorado. The Witchdoctor then turned around and commanded one of her guards to go get the young man that will accompany Guiart. The Witchdoctor then turned to the monkey and petted him one more time before she finally spoke to him.

"Wait here until I come back."

She managed to say before she coughed, her hands were quivering as she weakly held onto her staff and leaned on it before then walking out of the room, Guiart looked around at the guards and tsked a little since none of them even tried to help the poor woman out. The Witchdoctor made it to the hallway of rooms before almost being tackled by the young clockwork who she was looking after, he wrapped his arms around her staff which made her left go and both the boy and the staff fell to the ground. The clockwork sat there, dazed as he looked up at the ceiling, the Witchdoctor picked up her staff before weakly stumbling over to Able. Making raspy breaths and soft chuckles as she looked down at the boy.

"Someone is energetic today, that is good compared to our situation and your journey."

Able moved his head a little in confusion as he watched the Witchdoctor walk away from him, he then stood up to follow her, she led him outside on the balcony where they looked out over the treeline that slowly engulfed the sun. Painting the sky with beautiful warm colors as it will soon all fade into cool blue colors of the night, the air and wind slowly getting colder as it gave off a soft mildew smell that wavered the air. The scent of noon will always calm down the most savage of beasts, Able sat perched up on the railing as he looked around. Unlike the 'human' next to him, he doesn't smell the brisk air, and he doesn't pay attention to the sun for too long as he started to jump onto the railing and peer down on the world around him. The Witchdoctor on the other hand, sat still as she took in the fresh air and watched the sunset as she felt like falling into a deep sleep again but she shook herself awake. She turned over to Able and caught his feet with her staff and pulled him back onto the balcony as she then turned to walk down it, Able fell to the floor again and soon got up like it was nothing to only go and follow the Witchdoctor. 

"Now, listen closely, child." The Ancient Witchdoctor began as she held up one finger and made one raspy cough before continuing. "The next part of your life is to journey to Valencia, you will be smuggled into there and it's your job to try and find your fathers maker. Gazpaccio."

"G-Gaz....paccio..?"

"Yes child, that is the man you will be looking for." She then stopped to rest as she leaned on her staff once more, whispering to herself gibberish in Able's eyes as she then stopped and turned around to face the lad. "Don't come back here when you do find him, he will aid you on your journey and I will no longer be needed. You've been taught enough by me and my Witchdoctors, now it's time for you to move on with this adventure and save the Spiral. I shall give you a gift before you go and a final goodbye."

She held out her hands and he instantly put his hands onto hers, she gripped tightly onto them as she then started chanting. Gray clouds surrounded both of them from above as they seemed to move from her chanting and soon lines and symbols that glowed a bright green emerged onto his skin. She tilted her cloaked head up to Able.

"It is up to you know, you are the Spiral's only hope, do you accept this challenge and overcome it?"

Able stared down at her in a confused expression before straightening up, _it's all up to him now_. "I accept."

Then the thunder broke down around both of them, a spell erupting from beneath them both as the chanting grew louder, it was then that the lightning struck Able. Instead of malfunctioning or even exploding from the pressure and electricity, it felt refreshing for him and even more stronger in feeling as he opened his eyes revealing green pupils that were there only for a little bit before vanishing when he blinked again. Everything then faded away as the sky became clearer and the Witchdoctor almost fell to the ground in pain and tiredness as Able catched her and helped her up while giving her her staff. She waved him off as he backed away a little, he looked at his hands and noticed Hoodoo symbols on his wrists.

"What does this mean?"

"You'll know soon."

Guiart waited patiently in the sanctum, looking around the place as the smell of reed and oils reeked in the place, it's not like he didn't like the smells but it was bothering him a little. The eyes of the other guards were always staring down at him, always watching, he would be lying if he said it didn't creep him out that were always watching him. He understands why but sometimes you need to look away for a little while. He then looked at the ground and then started to think about you, _oh [y/n] you fool_, he knew this would happen and expected for you to do what you did but he had hope that you wouldn't do it and stay strong. He sighed as he feels disappointed that you would do such a thing without his knowledge, as a brother figure for you, he at least hoped that you would go when he was around so he would know or at least helped. He then started to remember back when they found you and took you under their wing, he remembered how you and your step father trained with any weapon that was there at the time, he even hired tutors for you on other weapons. He quickly picked up the fact that you were just better at the sword so he hired a Valencian tutor to teach you more about sword fighting. He remembers the trips and fails you did and it always made him laugh, he smiled a little as he also remembered your pouty face whenever you failed a jump or swing. 

"_Oh shush! I wasn't that bad!_"

"_Sure you weren't! You are so funny sometimes, you know that?_"

"_Yeah, I know._"

The slam of a door awakened him from his day dream as he looked up and over at one of the guards and a new hooded figure, Guiart raised a brow as he watched the cloaked figure come over to him and sit down in front of him, giving him a little bow. He then heard other soft steps as the Ancient Witchdoctor entered the room with the clockwork helping her stand and walk, Guiart instantly got up upon seeing the clockwork and reached for his axe before the Witchdoctor raised her hand to stop him.

"No, he is your 'sisters' son, you need not to kill him."

Guiart slowly fell to the ground as the features of the clockwork became clear as he then remembered that this was the same clockwork that you brought with you on your journey to the sanctum, he then turned back to the hooded figure. The Witchdoctor cleared her throat as she was seated on her throne.

"Sir Guiart," The monkey stood proudly as he puffed up his chest towards her and nodded. "M'lady?" "You are to help Able get to Valencia, completely underneath the Armadas vision, I fear what would come to him if Kane ever finds him." 

The monkey nodded as he saluted to her and then peered down at the figure. "My lady, if it's no harm done, who is this young gentleman?"

Once mentioned, he stood up in full height, pulling down the hood that covered his face. Releasing locks of white hair to fall down his shoulders, scars covered his face as his blue green eyes looked down at Guiart. There was a visible hole on his neck which was strange to the monkey, he stepped back to gaze at the figure in full perspective.

"Ah, this man will be the one to accompany you, the person I spoke of before." She softly chuckled to herself before a couple raspy breaths followed. "He has the same brotherly connection that you have with [y/n]."

"My name is Thomas." The man finally spoke, what a deep seductive voice with dark intent.

"Thomas -?" Guiart waved his hand a little, asking him to continue for the last name.

"_Thomas Clocksworth_."


End file.
